10 more kids in jail for stone throwing

Hurriyet Daily News with wires

refid:11248409 ilişkili resim dosyası

Two of the children, aged 13 and 15, were detained in the Mediterranean province of Adana on Oct. 21, last year during protests over claims that Abdullah Öcalan, the leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, was being mistreated in prison. The 13 year-old was released pending the trial, while the 15 year-old spent three months in jail.

In the final session of the trial March 12, the 15-year-old was sentenced to four years ten months and 20 days while the 13-year-old was sentenced to three years six months and 15 days in jail, reported Doğan news agency. Both were found guilty of being members of the PKK and distributing PKK propaganda.

The eight other children, aged between 13 and 15, who were detained for participating in demonstrations on Feb. 15, last year, on the anniversary of the capture of Öcalan, were sentenced to prison terms of between three years, seven months and four years, eight months and 20 days.

One other child was released due to lack of evidence.

Human Rights Organization, or İHD, Adana branch Chairman Ethem Açıkalın, in a press conference with the children and their mothers, argued there was no evidence the children had participated in the demonstrations. He said some of the children were detained during police checks after the protests officers checked their pulses and t-shirts to check if the boys had taken part. "If they were sweaty or they had a high pulse rate, they were detained. The children were then charged and sentenced to prison," said Açıkalın.

He noted that jailed Öcalan had called on people to plant trees recently, and warned: "Do not plant trees these days. If you do, you may be arrested for a criminal offense or being a member of an outlawed group." One of the children said he had played in a football tournament hosted by the police department that day and was arrested as he was going back home. Hossaini said he came to the city in order to get the opinion of nongovernmental organizations.