17 Turkish soldiers accused of executing PKK rebels May 23, 2012 - 20:45 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Seventeen Turkish soldiers, including three officers, were arrested May 23 on charges of summarily executing two militants and one civilian in a military operation, Hurriyet Daily News reported. Two militants from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and one civilian, whom the militants had taken hostage after taking shelter in his house, were killed in a shootout with soldiers near Buğulukaynak village in the eastern province of Van in 2009. An investigation was launched after a soldier who took part in the operation claimed that the militants and the civilian were not killed in a firefight but were summarily executed by the soldiers. A prosecutor questioned 17 soldiers related to the incident, including the commander of the Van Provincial Gendarmerie Regiment at the time, retired Col. Vecihi Halil İyigün, Maj. Hakan Başaklıgil, Lt. Mulis Çolak, one non-commissioned officer and 13 specialist sergeants. The suspects were then sent to a courthouse in Van's Erciş district, where they were arrested on charges of voluntary manslaughter. The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.   Top stories Azerbaijani authorities report that they have already resettled 3,000 people in the Nagorno-Karabakh town of Stepanakert. On June 10, Azerbaijani President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev will leave for Turkey on a working visit. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive.   Partner news |  Latest news Viva sees growing demand for cloud services  In recent years, medical institutions are starting to make use of Viva’s cloud servicesArmenian, German presidents meet in Berlin Armenian and German Presidents Vahagn Khachaturyan and Frank-Walter Steinmeier met in Berlin.Armenia assumes presidency of Mediterranean Network of Regulatory Authorities The Commission on Television and Radio of Armenia said it expects productive cooperation in various formats.Balance of attached cards in the Idram&IDBank app From now on, users will be able to view the online balances of cards issued by ArCa system banks and attached to the app. |
