>Date: Sat, 01 Apr 2000 00:15:51 -0000 >From: "Press Agency Ozgurluk . Org" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >* Economy shrinks by record 6.4 percent in 1999 >* EARTHQUAKE IMPACT Economists tie the record GNP contraction to two >major earthquakes that hit Turkey last year and to high real interest >rates >* WORSE THAN CRISIS YEAR The economic contraction that surpassed >government projections is the highest in the republican era, even >worse than 1994 when Turkey experienced its severest financial crisis >* Turkey's current account deficit at $1.4 bln in '99 >* Turkey's foreign trade deficit contracted 26.5 percent to $10.5 >billion in 1999 >* The fully autonomous Banking Regulation and Supervision Board, an >element of the structural performance criteria in Turkey's stand-by >deal with the IMF, is intended to rule out political influence on >decisions regarding Turkey's banking sector >* Netas plans to surpass overall market growth in 2000 >* Congress highlights problems in Turkey's farm sector >* Bilgin-Media Group join Koc Group for GSM license tender >* Koc Group hopes that this cooperation, consisting of KOCTEL >Telecommunications in which Bilgin Media Group has a 19.6 percent >share and SBC, will bring the best results for Turkey > >Susurluk suspect Carkin back in detention > >Former Special Team member and Susurluk-case suspect Ayhan >Carkin is back in state custody. Carkin, who had been >detained along with seven others in Erdek in relation to an >illegal property sale, had been released by the court on March 24, but >now has been detained again through a decision to arrest him >in absentia. Carkin was sent to Bursa E-type prison. > >Holland refuses PKK member's request for asylum > >The Dutch government has refused the asylum request of Murat >Karayilan, a top leader of the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party >(PKK). The Dutch Justice Ministry's refusal were based on >reports from the Dutch Interior Minister's office which stated that >Karayilan was responsible for the deaths of more than 350 >people. The ministry also predicted that many more terrorists would >request asylum if Karayilan's request were accepted. >Karayilan's lawyers said they will appeal the decision to a higher court. >Terrorism experts say that the Dutch government's refusal is >a positive step towards shutting down the terrorist organization. > > > >Controversial Article 312 on the agenda again > > Many prison sentences were passed to the Court of >Cassation last year, 90 percent of which concern separatist activities > > > >Ankara - Turkish Daily News > >A total of 201 cases relating to activities contravening >Article 312/2 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) were filed in the Court of >Cassation last year, of which 185 were heard and 16 were >dismissed. The article is now back on the agenda following the >imprisonment of now-defunct Welfare Party (RP) Chairman >Necmettin Erbakan, reported the Anatolia news agency. > >The Court of Cassation sentenced those involved in 98 of the >185 cases to prison, while the remaining cases were overruled. >Ninety percent of the imprisonment decisions concerned >separatist activities, while the remaining constituted religious >activities. > >Many politicians, writers and journalists were sentenced to >jail due to their activities which contravened Article 312. Famous >writer Yasar Kemal and journalist Ahmet Altan's sentences, >which have been postponed, were passed by the court. Prison >sentences of the former mayors of Istanbul and Kayseri, >Tayyip Erdogan and Sukru Karatepe, and Deputy Huseyin Ceylan of the >closed RP had been carried out, while former Rebirth Party >(YDP) Chairman Hasan Celal Guzel is still serving a jail sentence he >was given based on Article 312. International Human Rights >Federation (FIDH) Deputy Chairman Akin Birdal has two >condemnations due to this article. He was imprisoned on >Tuesday to complete his sentence, which was suspended previously >due to his health. Erbakan had also been sentenced to a year >in jail, and the justification for imprisoning Erbakan has not been >completed yet. > >Meanwhile, 14 imprisonment and 17 release files were passed >to the Court of Cassation relating to torture crimes. The court >approved 12 of the imprisonment and 13 of the release cases >while it cancelled two imprisonment and four release files. A trial >involving police, known to the public as the Manisa trial, is >among the cancelled release files. The court had decided to sentence >the police due to torture crimes, and the trial is still >continuing. > >Prosecutor indicts Kenan Evren for staging military coup > >Ankara - The Associated Press > >A prosecutor on Wednesday indicted former President Kenan >Evren and demanded he be punished by death for seizing power >in a coup when he was a general two decades ago. > >Sacit Kayasu, a prosecutor for the southern province of >Adana, accused Evren of staging the bloodless coup of 1980. The coup >crushed leftist and right-wing radical groups that had turned >streets in Turkey into a battlefield in which 5,000 perished. He >returned the country to democratic rule in 1983 and served as >president until 1989. > >Kayasu said Evren, 83, should be punished under laws that bar >disrupting the workings of Parliament and other state institutions >and which call for the death penalty. No trial date has been >set. > >It was not clear why the indictment was brought so long after >the coup, or why the prosecutor, just one month away from >retirement, waited until now. > >The indictment falls just within the 20-year statute of >limitations. The coup occurred on Sept. 12, 1980. > > >-- >Pressagency Ozgurluk.Org >In solidarity with the Peoples Liberationstruggle in Turkey and >Kurdistan http://www.ozgurluk.org >DHKP-C: http://www.ozgurluk.org/dhkc > > __________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi ___________________________________ [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe/unsubscribe messages mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________
