TURKISH COURT ACCEPTS PUBLISHER ZARAKOLU INDICTMENT

PanARMENIAN.Net
April 3, 2012 – 15:48 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – An Istanbul court on Tuesday, April 3 accepted an
indictment in which publisher Ragıp Zarakolu and Professor BuÅ~_ra
Ersanlı face lengthy prison terms on charges of leading and aiding
a terrorist organization, Today’s Zaman reported.

The 2,400-page-long indictment filed last month as part of an
investigation into the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) seeks between
15 and 22.5 years in jail for Ersanlı, who is accused of holding a
senior position in the KCK. Between seven-and-a-half to 15 years is
being demanded for Zarakolu, who is also accused of aiding the group.

The 15th Istanbul High Criminal Court announced on Monday that the
indictment had been accepted, effectively paving the way for the
start of the case.

The indictment asserts that Ersanlı was in charge of the Peace
and Democracy Party’s (BDP) training course – called the Politics
Academy – and maintains that the content of the course was heavily
influenced by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the
KCK. The prosecution alleges that, as the person in charge of the BDP’s
training program, Ersanlı can be considered a leader of the group.

Ersanlı and Zarakolu were arrested in November on terrorism charges
as part of an investigation into the KCK, an umbrella group that
allegedly encompasses the PKK and its affiliated organizations.

The indictment implicates 1,400 people and accuses 193 suspects –
147 of whom are currently under arrest – of various terrorism-related
crimes.

From: Baghdasarian