(RSF/IFEX) – In a 27 November press release, RSF reports that on that date, the eleventh hearing in the trial of eleven police officers accused of the murder of Metin Goktepe was held before the case’s new judge, Mustafa Birisik. His predecessor, Kamil Serif, had asked to be taken off the trial. The court had […]
(RSF/IFEX) – In a 27 November press release, RSF reports that
on that date, the eleventh hearing in the trial of eleven police
officers accused of the murder of Metin Goktepe was held before
the case’s new judge, Mustafa Birisik. His predecessor, Kamil
Serif, had asked to be taken off the trial. The court had decided
that the Court of Assizes of Eyup (Istanbul) should organize the
re-enactment of the murder of Goktepe, a reporter for the
extreme-left newspaper “Evrensel”, who was beaten to death by
police on 8 January 1996. The date for the re-enactment has still
not been set.
**Updates IFEX alerts of 10 November, 9 October, 17 September, 22
August, 30 July 1997 and others**
The court has again asked for details on the autopsy report on
Goktepe in order to determine the blows which lead to his death.
It has also demanded that the officials in charge of the murder
investigation respond specifically, as soon as possible, to the
accusations of torture made by the police officers charged in the
case.
As well, RSF has learned that the Minister of Justice has moved
Judge Fatma Niljun Ucar from the Court of Afyon to the Court of
Edirne (east Thrace). The magistrate had presided on 24 July over
one of the hearings and ordered the imprisonment of 4 of the
accused police officers. According to Ucar, the decision to
reassign him constitutes a sanction and a warning to judges
handling the case. The move must still be confirmed by the
Supreme Court.
The next hearing is set for 25 December 1997. RSF is calling for
a stop to the intimidation against witnesses for the plaintiff
and, in view of recent incidents, against certain judges. As
well, they urge that the re-enactment demanded for several months
be organised in the presence of all of the eye-witnesses and the
accused and that the investigators finally respond to the
requests of the court regarding the results of the autopsy and
the examinations.
