Good. It should be illegal for soldiers to surrender or permit themselves to be captured, unless they are wounded or incapacitated. B http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/11/11/europe/EU-GEN-Turkey-Soldiers.php Turkish hostage troops sent to prison after release by Kurdish rebels
The Associated Press ISTANBUL, Turkey: Turkish troops taken hostage by Kurdish rebels three weeks ago have been charged with "disobedience that could lead to a major catastrophe," a defense attorney said Sunday. The soldiers returned home last Sunday after their release by the rebels. But they are now in a Turkish prison, facing charges in their homeland. The charges brought against the soldiers on Saturday also included "undermining military discipline" and, for two of them, "escaping abroad," said lawyer Ramazan Korkmaz, who represents the soldiers. The soldiers were abducted by rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, on Oct. 21 following an ambush that killed 12 other soldiers. They were taken to a rebel base in the north of neighboring Iraq. The ambush occurred in southeastern Turkey near the border with Iraq, where fighting has claimed dozens of lives on the Turkish side - most of them soldiers - in less than two months. During the same period, at least 88 rebels have been killed, according to the Turkish military and media reports. The eight soldiers were handed over last Sunday to northern Iraqi officials, who delivered them to U.S. military personnel for transfer to Turkish authorities, according to the U.S. State Department. Korkmaz, who was not allowed to go through the court file but was present at Saturday's hearing, said the soldiers were accused of "not properly fulfilling their national duty," in a clash that left many other soldiers dead or wounded. The soldiers told the court that they had ran out of ammunition when the rebels took them hostage, Korkmaz said. Shortly after the soldiers' arrival in Turkey, local media here said that they were being interrogated by military authorities but their whereabouts were unknown. The soldiers were sent to a military prison in the eastern province of Van. It was not immediately clear when they would appear in court again. Korkmaz said the charge of "disobedience that could lead to a major catastrophe," would mean up to ten years in prison, if if the soldiers are convicted. Escaping abroad, which two of the soldiers are charged with, could mean another five years, he said. Korkmaz said it was not clear why the charges of "escaping abroad" were brought against only two of the eight soldiers. Ibrahim Cagan, the father of one of the soldiers, said Sunday he did not know his son was imprisoned until he saw news reports, and that he and his son had not been able to communicate since his release by the rebels. "I am very sad," said Cagan. "I am calling on our heroic army to release my son." Turkey has fought since 1984 against the rebels of the PKK, which the United States and the European Union label a terrorist organization. Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the fighting. The government has received authorization from Parliament to hit PKK bases in neighboring Iraq. The U.S. is opposed to a major Turkish incursion or northern Iraq, fearing it could destabilize the most stable part the country. Turkey has massed tens of thousands of troops along the border to block rebel infiltration and to prepare for a possible cross-border operation. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
