Ankara Court Rejects Retrial for Ocalan

[Aslan]

An Ankara court has unanimously rejected a retrial for Kurdistan Worker Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan, Turkey’s Bianet news reported.

Ocalan’s request for a retrial was submitted in a 26-page report by his defense attorneys under a new set of legal reforms.

In a recent interview with Rudaw regarding the retrial, his lawyers had cited the European Court of Human Rights’ condemnation of Ocalan’s original trial, and how his 1999 arrest in Kenya had violated international laws.

The human rights court also had questioned the impartiality of the judges who presided over Ocalan’s trial.

Cengiz Yürekli, a defense attorney for Ocalan, had said his team would petition the human rights court if Ocalan’s request for a retrial was denied by Turkey.

Ocalan is the founder of the PKK, which has been fighting for autonomy in Turkey since 1984.

He was jailed in 1999 and sentenced to death, but that was commuted to life imprisonment in 2002.

The PKK is in the middle of a historic peace process with Turkey – negotiated by Ocalan – to end a three-decade separatist war in which an estimated 40,000 people have died across Turkey.

[Anthea]

I keep trying to find this 'Historic Peace Process'

All I see is:

Several years ago - in order for Turkey to continue with it's negotiations re application to join the EU - the EU requested - or more likely demanded that the Turkish government implement certain chances - those changes included giving more rights to minority groups - mother-tongue, history and cultural recognition - mother-tongue teaching etc

In 2007 a great many Kurds voted for erDOGan and his party - WHY - because erDOGan promised to implement the changes that the EU had insisted upon - only he did not mention that those changes were being forced upon him by the EU - erDOGan made it sound that HE erDOGan intended to implement those changes out of the kindness of his own heart

Skip to 2013 - Kurds have been granted very few of those promised freedoms - enter Ocalan into the equation - the so-called Peace Process differs in what way from the rights originally required by the EU - the only difference being that with Ocalan's help the PKK is in the process of pulling out of Turkey - other than that there is NO DIFFERENCE between the rights requested by the EU and promised by erDOGan all those years ago