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FAMILY OF TURKISH ARMENIAN PRIVATE TO APPEAL COURT'S DECISION ON SON'S DEATH
Today's Zaman, Turkey
March 27 2013
The family of a Turkish private of Armenian descent, Sevag 癬^ahin
Bal覺kc覺, has said they will appeal a court ruling which said the
2011 death of their son was an accident and sentenced the man who
shot him to four years, five months in prison.
Pvt. Bal覺kc覺 was killed on April 24, 2011, the date the Armenian
diaspora has chosen to commemorate the incidents of 1915, when
hundreds of thousands of Armenians were killed in the Ottoman Empire
during World War I. Officers and other privates in Bal覺kc覺's unit,
which was stationed in Batman province, testified that he was shot
accidentally while "joking around" with a close friend, K覺vanc
Agaoglu. The two were serving at the Kozluk Gumu癬_g繹ru Gendarmerie
Station at the time of the incident.
Earlier this month, a military prosecutor demanded up to two years,
six months' imprisonment for Agaoglu, accusing him of accidentally
shooting Bal覺kc覺 during their military service as privates. But
Bal覺kc覺's family and lawyers believe the young man being an ethnic
Armenian might have been the motive for the fatal shooting.
On Tuesday, the Diyarbak覺r Second Air Forces Command Military Court
ruled for a lengthier four years and five months of prison time for
Agaoglu, finding him guilty of involuntarily causing the death of
Bal覺kc覺. Subtracting time served, he will be staying in prison for
the next three years.
At a press conference on Wednesday, 襤smail Cem Halavurt, a lawyer
representing the Bal覺kc覺 family, said they will file an appeal at
the Supreme Court of Appeals seeking the reversal of the decision.
"We believe the killing was deliberate," Halavurt said, demanding
a lengthier prison term for Agaoglu. He also accused the prosecutor
involved in the case of being reckless in saying Bal覺kc覺 was shot
"accidentally."
Also speaking to the press, Ani Bal覺kc覺, the mother of the private,
said her son was killed because of his ethnic background as a person
of Armenian origin.
A reaction against the court ruling came from the Association of
Human Rights and Solidarity for Oppressed Peoples (MAZLUM-DER), whose
Diyarbak覺r Branch President Abdurrahim Ay said, "We think the court
ruling regarding Sevag 癬^ahin Bal覺kc覺 was given without a thorough
and adequate investigation."
Ay noted that during the course of the trial, several witnesses had
testified that the private was shot on purpose, not by accident, adding
that the ruling "has disappointed Bal覺kc覺's family and everyone
following this trial." He also said that in many similar cases in the
military, the victims tended to be Kurdish or of some other ethnicity.
"This alarming truth is that people are being discriminated against
on the basis of their race or religion even when they are performing
a duty that is compulsory in this country and this discrimination is
proving to be deadly," he said, underlining that the court's decision
was a major disappointment given this situation.
Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) 襤stanbul deputy Sebahat Tuncel, who
held a press conference in the Parliament building on Wednesday, said:
"It is no coincidence that those who die in accidents in the army are
Kurds, Alevis or Armenians. We are seeing the consequences of racism
and nationalism." She continued: "This country hasn't forgotten Hrant
Dink. What happened to Sevag Bal覺kc覺 is a different manifestation
of the same thing. Turkey has to establish social peace."
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-310881-family-of-turkish-armenian-private-to-appeal-courts-decision-on-sons-death.html
From: Baghdasarian
Today's Zaman, Turkey
March 27 2013
The family of a Turkish private of Armenian descent, Sevag 癬^ahin
Bal覺kc覺, has said they will appeal a court ruling which said the
2011 death of their son was an accident and sentenced the man who
shot him to four years, five months in prison.
Pvt. Bal覺kc覺 was killed on April 24, 2011, the date the Armenian
diaspora has chosen to commemorate the incidents of 1915, when
hundreds of thousands of Armenians were killed in the Ottoman Empire
during World War I. Officers and other privates in Bal覺kc覺's unit,
which was stationed in Batman province, testified that he was shot
accidentally while "joking around" with a close friend, K覺vanc
Agaoglu. The two were serving at the Kozluk Gumu癬_g繹ru Gendarmerie
Station at the time of the incident.
Earlier this month, a military prosecutor demanded up to two years,
six months' imprisonment for Agaoglu, accusing him of accidentally
shooting Bal覺kc覺 during their military service as privates. But
Bal覺kc覺's family and lawyers believe the young man being an ethnic
Armenian might have been the motive for the fatal shooting.
On Tuesday, the Diyarbak覺r Second Air Forces Command Military Court
ruled for a lengthier four years and five months of prison time for
Agaoglu, finding him guilty of involuntarily causing the death of
Bal覺kc覺. Subtracting time served, he will be staying in prison for
the next three years.
At a press conference on Wednesday, 襤smail Cem Halavurt, a lawyer
representing the Bal覺kc覺 family, said they will file an appeal at
the Supreme Court of Appeals seeking the reversal of the decision.
"We believe the killing was deliberate," Halavurt said, demanding
a lengthier prison term for Agaoglu. He also accused the prosecutor
involved in the case of being reckless in saying Bal覺kc覺 was shot
"accidentally."
Also speaking to the press, Ani Bal覺kc覺, the mother of the private,
said her son was killed because of his ethnic background as a person
of Armenian origin.
A reaction against the court ruling came from the Association of
Human Rights and Solidarity for Oppressed Peoples (MAZLUM-DER), whose
Diyarbak覺r Branch President Abdurrahim Ay said, "We think the court
ruling regarding Sevag 癬^ahin Bal覺kc覺 was given without a thorough
and adequate investigation."
Ay noted that during the course of the trial, several witnesses had
testified that the private was shot on purpose, not by accident, adding
that the ruling "has disappointed Bal覺kc覺's family and everyone
following this trial." He also said that in many similar cases in the
military, the victims tended to be Kurdish or of some other ethnicity.
"This alarming truth is that people are being discriminated against
on the basis of their race or religion even when they are performing
a duty that is compulsory in this country and this discrimination is
proving to be deadly," he said, underlining that the court's decision
was a major disappointment given this situation.
Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) 襤stanbul deputy Sebahat Tuncel, who
held a press conference in the Parliament building on Wednesday, said:
"It is no coincidence that those who die in accidents in the army are
Kurds, Alevis or Armenians. We are seeing the consequences of racism
and nationalism." She continued: "This country hasn't forgotten Hrant
Dink. What happened to Sevag Bal覺kc覺 is a different manifestation
of the same thing. Turkey has to establish social peace."
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-310881-family-of-turkish-armenian-private-to-appeal-courts-decision-on-sons-death.html
From: Baghdasarian