More teens face lengthy prison terms
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Doğan News Agency
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Aralık 02, 2008 00:00
ADANA - Six children between the ages of 13 and 16, accused of throwing rocks at police officers, were charged yesterday in the Mediterranean province of Adana and now face up to 58 years in prison.
The children were among approximately 100 people who participated in street demonstrations Oct. 19 in the Dağlıoğlu neighborhood, protesting reports of alleged abuse of jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, Abdullah Öcalan.
The case is similar to another, where six children were charged last month in Diyarbakır for related crimes, each of whom face 23 years in prison.
The six children in Adana were detained by police during the demonstrations, two 15-year-olds and one 16-year-old were jailed.
Two 14-year-olds and a 13-year-old have been released pending trial.
The prosecutor accused the children of committing a crime in the name of the PKK terrorist organization, participating in the use of dangerous materials, shouting PKK propaganda and threatening public security. The prosecutor asked for a 58-year jail term for each child but then decreasing the jail term sought to 31.5 years for the two 15-year-olds and the 16-year-old, and to 21.5 years for the 13 and 14-year-old boys.
One boy dismissed the charges stating he was playing pool at a coffee house during the demonstrations. He said the shop owner asked them to leave and police detained him while he was standing in front of the shop.
Unaware
He said a photo of a PKK leader found on his moblie phone had been taken by his younger brother from television.
Another of the boys said he had been approached by a young man whose face was covered and who told him to throw stones at the police. He was scared so he took a stone, but when the guy left, he dropped it. "That is when the police detained me," the boy told the Doğan news agency.
Some of the protesters sought shelter from police by trying to hide among guests of a local wedding, two of the boys said, who stated they were detained while they were going to the wedding.
The case is similar to another, where six children were charged last month in Diyarbakır for related crimes, each of whom face 23 years in prison.
The six children in Adana were detained by police during the demonstrations, two 15-year-olds and one 16-year-old were jailed.
Two 14-year-olds and a 13-year-old have been released pending trial.
The prosecutor accused the children of committing a crime in the name of the PKK terrorist organization, participating in the use of dangerous materials, shouting PKK propaganda and threatening public security. The prosecutor asked for a 58-year jail term for each child but then decreasing the jail term sought to 31.5 years for the two 15-year-olds and the 16-year-old, and to 21.5 years for the 13 and 14-year-old boys.
One boy dismissed the charges stating he was playing pool at a coffee house during the demonstrations. He said the shop owner asked them to leave and police detained him while he was standing in front of the shop.
Unaware
He said a photo of a PKK leader found on his moblie phone had been taken by his younger brother from television.
Another of the boys said he had been approached by a young man whose face was covered and who told him to throw stones at the police. He was scared so he took a stone, but when the guy left, he dropped it. "That is when the police detained me," the boy told the Doğan news agency.
Some of the protesters sought shelter from police by trying to hide among guests of a local wedding, two of the boys said, who stated they were detained while they were going to the wedding.