EIGHT SOLDIERS TAKEN HOSTAGE AND RELEASED BY PKK IMPRISONED
PanARMENIAN.Net
12.11.2007 15:14 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Eight Turkish soldiers taken hostage by Kurdish
rebels in a deadly attack on Oct. 21 and eventually released on
November 4, were imprisoned yesterday after the Van martial court
charged them with disobeying orders and crossing into another country
without permission.
There were unconfirmed reports in Turkish media alleging that
two of captured soldiers were moles and collaborating with the
terrorists. However Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit
rejected such allegations and said, the accusations against eight
soldiers released by PKK terrorists were inappropriate.
The soldiers were interrogated by the General Staff in Ankara
following their release, then sent to the eastern province of Van
and put on trial. The martial court claimed strong evidence that
an extraordinary breach of military discipline and insistence on
disobeying orders existed, and arrested the soldiers before sending
them to Van Military Prison.
The soldiers’ lawyer, Ramazan Korkmaz, appointed by the Van Bar
council said the soldiers denied the charges and said they did not
disobey any orders.
Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin after the soldiers had been delivered
to Turkey had said in a statement that he was not too happy about
the release of the soldiers, saying he could not accept the fact that
they went with terrorists that night, Turkish Daily News reports.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress