Uludere case sent to a military court

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet

This file photo shows the mothers of victims who were killed in an air raid at Uludere. A total of 34 civilian villagers were killed on Dec 28, 2011. DHA photo

The Diyarbakır public prosecutor has ruled the ongoing Uludere case out of its jurisdiction, transferring the case to the military prosecutor of the chief of General Staff.

The case, overseeing the dealings related to the Uludere incident, in which 34 civilian villagers were killed in an air strike on Dec. 28, 2011, was transferred to the military court when the Diyarbakır prosecutor ruled lack of jurisdiction over the investigation due to its negligence claims.

The prosecution was working with the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MİT) and chief of General Staff, retrieving hundreds of documents and information regarding the Uludere incident.

The lawyers, however, voiced concern over the decision to send the case to military court, claiming the decision had affirmed the incident was an accident and subsequently was set to affect future rulings. A parliamentary report investigating the Uludere tragedy previously found no evidence that the military intentionally hit civilians, who were mistaken for terrorists, determining that poor coordination between the army and intelligence was the main reason behind the deaths.