Turkish court to give verdict in killed journalist's case next week

[ozgurluk at xs4all.nl]

   ANKARA, March 12 (AFP) - A Turkish court handling the case of a  
journalist who died in police custody announced Thursday it would 
give its verdict next week on 48 policemen accused of murdering him 
or taking part in the killing. 
   Metin Goktepe, a 27-year-old journalist for the left-leaning  
Evrensel newspaper, which is no longer published, was allegedly 
beaten to death by a group of police officers after his arrest on 
January 8, 1996 in Istanbul. 
   The trial, which began in October 1996, reconvened Thursday in  
the western town of Afyon and chief judge Mustafa Birisik announced 
that he would hand down the verdict next Thursday, the Anatolia news 
agency said. 
   Five of the police officers, who have been in prison since last  
July, are accused of premeditated murder and face up to 16 years in 
prison if found guilty. 
   The remaining 43 policemen are charged with second-degree murder  
or tolerating the journalist's beating, and face shorter prison 
terms. 
   In Thursday's hearing, the judge rejected an appeal by lawyers  
of the suspects for the release of the five policemen in jail. 
   At the time Goktepe was arrested, he was covering the funeral of  
two inmates killed when security forces put down a riot in an 
Istanbul jail. 
   His death caused public outrage in Turkey and raised criticism  
over reported police brutality. 
   On the orders of the justice ministry, the trial is being held  
in Afyon, rather than Istanbul, "for security reasons." 
 
-- 
Press Agency Ozgurluk
For justice, democracy and human rights in Turkey and Kurdistan!
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