Kurdish Political Prisoners In Engl

[kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu]

From: Arm The Spirit <ats at locust.cic.net>
Subject: Kurdish Political Prisoners In England

Kurdish Prisoners In British Jails

By Nicki Jameson

     In July 1996 the court of Appeal gave its judgement in in
the case of three Kurdish prisoners: Cafer Kovaycin, Hikmet Bozat
and Servet Ozen. All three were convicted in 1994 on two charges:
one of 'conspiring to commit arson with intent to endanger life';
the other of committing arson, in specific attacks against
Turkish banks.
     Cafer and Hikmet were sentenced to 15 years each on the
conspiracy charge and 12 years for the arson attack; Servet, who
was only 18 at the time of his arrest, was sentenced to 12 and 10
years. The trial judge also recommended that they be deported to
Turkey at the end of their sentences. At the 'leave to appeal'
hearing in February 1996, the court rejected the men's
applications to appeal against their convictions but agreed they
could appeal against the length of sentence and the
recommendation that they be deported.The court ruled that it was
wrong for the conspiracy sentences to be longer than those for
the specific offences and reduced the 15 year sentences to 12
years and Servet's 12 to 10. It further conceded that Servet's
sentence was still too long and reduced it to eight years. Then
came the ruling on the deportation recommendations. The appeal
Court judges agreed with the submission that the trial judge was
wrong to make a recommendation for deportation while failing to
give any reasons. So they quashed recommendation but substituted
their own recommendation for deportation with reasons. They then
recommended that Cafer and Hikmet be deported but that Servet,
whose family has indefinite leave to remain, be permitted to
stay. Servet Ozen's family has supported him throughout and had
collected 5,500 petition signatures in support of his appeal.
Although the judges dismissed this as having 'political
undertones', there is no doubt that they were influenced by the
number of references, school reports and letters of support.
Servet is now 21 and, having spent the past two years in a Young
Offenders Institution, is about to be moved to an adult male
prison. He will be eligible for parole in 1998.
     Meanwhile Cafer Kovaycin and Hikmet Bozat face another five
years followed by deportation to Turkey. Even in prison their
safety is not guaranteed. Just one month after he was sentenced,
Cafer Kovaycin was the victim of a nearly fatal attack when
boiling oil was poured over him in Swaleside prison. The final
decision on deportation lies with the Home Secretary and
supporters will be collecting evidence to back up their
application to stay. Readers of FRFI who have information should
write to them c/o P.O. Box 10831, London N8 OBH. We hope to
prepare a dossier which will help these prisoners and others who
find themselves in the same situation.

(Source: Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! - October/November
1996)

Release Kani Yilmaz

By Trevor Rayne

     October 26th marks the second anniversary of the arrest of
Kani Yilmaz, European Representative of the Kurdistan Workers
Party (PKK). Kani Yilmaz was seized by the Metropolitan police
outside the Palace of Westminster on his way to address British
MPs, at their request, on prospects for a political solution to
the Kurdish question. He was then jailed as 'a threat to national
security'. He remains in Belmarsh Prison facing extradition to
Germany. As Kani Yilmaz puts it, "I was invited to bring a
message of peace and it is as if I have been put in prison for
mentioning peace! I see what has happened as an attempt to defeat
the democratic process."
     The Divisional Court ruled against Kani Yilmaz's appeal
against extradition in July, but did acknowledge that the
supposed crimes committed in Germany for which the order was
issued are of a political nature. Kani's case has now been
appealed to the house of lords on the legal point of whether the
1989 Extradition Act permits a dual purpose in its definition of
political offence; in this case that an offence can be of a
political nature if it is directed at the German and the Turkish
states simultaneously. The court ruled that it could only be a
political offence if directed solely against the requesting
state. The British judiciary will not judge in favour of Kani
Yilmaz when across the European Union a systematic process of
criminalising immigrants and refugees is underway in the name of
European security. It is a disgrace that Kani Yilmaz was held
even for a day. It is a indictment of the parliament that invited
him and yet permits this criminalisation of an international
public figure and legitimate representative of the Kurds, of the
supine Labour Party leadership which accepts the Home secretary's
word as writ, and the miserable British left that, with a few
exceptions, has done nothing to fight for the Kurds and Kani
Yilmaz.

(Source: Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! - October/November
1996)

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Arm The Spirit is an autonomist/anti-imperialist information
collective based in Toronto, Canada. Our focus includes a wide 
variety of material, including political prisoners, national 
liberation struggles, armed communist resistance, anti-fascism, 
the fight against patriarchy, and more. We regularly publish our 
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P.O. Box 6326, Stn. A
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