Innocent Kurd with Lemon Accused of Supporting Terror

[Banana]

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A Turkish prosecutor has demanded that a Kurdish man who is deaf, illiterate and unable to speak be jailed for 25 years for supporting terrorism.

Possession of a half-lemon was cited as evidence against Mehmet Tahir Ilhan. Lemon can ease the effects of tear gas.

Mr Ilhan is charged with making propaganda for the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and with taking part in an illegal organisation.

Mr Ilhan, a bazaar porter from the city of Mersin, denies the charges.

Using sign language at a hearing in the south-eastern city of Adana, he said he had got caught up in a violent pro-Kurdish demonstration.

Under Turkey's anti-terrorism law it is an offence to show any sign of support for the PKK.

Laws criticised

The BBC's Jonathan Head in Istanbul says Turkey's judiciary often administers harsh penalties on bafflingly slight evidence.

However, even by Turkish standards, this case is extraordinary, he says.

If Mr Ilhan is found guilty, the court is expected to pass a sentence close to the 25 years that the prosecutor has asked for.

Over the past 18 months, hundreds of Kurdish activists, journalists and politicians have been detained under anti-terrorism legislation.

The use of Turkey's anti-terrorism laws has been widely criticised. The Council of Europe said it was having a "chilling effect" on freedom of speech.

Our correspondent says the Turkish government is trying to encourage Kurdish moderates with such concessions as Kurdish language classes in school, while at the same time isolating the more hard-line PKK members.

But the sometimes incomprehensible actions of its judiciary will inevitably undermine such efforts, he adds.

BBC News - Turkey: Kurd with lemon accused of supporting terror

[American Pakistani]

Full Support to Turkeye, Kurds are citizens of Turkeye & should act as responsible Turkish citizens instead of creating chaos.

[Ottoman-Turk]

are they sure there wasnt a bomb under that lemon , oh bbc news , when they do everything to muslims im sure they dont put them up as news

[BordoEnes]

BBC really has a way of excurating things, What evidence we have against this man will likely not be just a singe Lemon

Under Turkey's anti-terrorism law it is an offence to show any sign of support for the PKK

Nuff said

[hinduguy]

BBC really has a way of excurating things, What evidence we have against this man will likely not be just a singe Lemon

Under Turkey's anti-terrorism law it is an offence to show any sign of support for the PKK

Nuff said

Is lemon symbol of PKK?

[BordoEnes]

Is lemon symbol of PKK?

''he said he had got caught up in a violent pro-Kurdish demonstration.''


These so called 'Pro-kurdish' demonstration as BBC calls them are actually pro-pkk demonstration.

[REHAN NIAZI FALCON]

we are with TURKEY and believe in its unity , kurds needs to consider them as turkish citizens ....

[Banana]

Seems the Beards are Rounded on the Poor Kurds!

[LegionnairE]

Define innocent.

Where did BBC get the right to play the judge jury and executioner.

[TurAr]

"Innocent Kurd" in a demonstration which is in favor of PKK terrorists, with a lemon in his hand?
Like the article says: "Lemon can ease the effects of tear gas."

Oh poor innocent Kurd :(

[hinduguy]

I would trust BBC than nationalist turks here, for them every kurd is a terrorist.

[TheCommander]

@Banana;

Do you have any idea about the law against terrorist in England and also in Spain? First check the English law about the terrorism and then criticize our law. I know the Law in England and Spain is much more tough than ours. One example, you cannot carry any symbol of the terrorist organization in England otherwise you charge.

[hinduguy]

@Banana;

Do you have any idea about the law against terrorist in England and also in Spain? First check the English law about the terrorism and then criticize our law. I know the Law in England and Spain is much more tough than ours. One example, you cannot carry any symbol of the terrorist organization in England otherwise you charge.

Link please. If you say some legal stuff (like terror laws more tough in UK), show some evidence.
I am yet to see a terrorist given death sentence here.
There is this guy 'Abu Qatada', hate cleric, they cant even deport him because he might die in yemen (or some ME country I forgot)

[drink_milk]

... first of all this is another troll thread , however, i would like to answer in order to end this kind of trolling in this section.

- it is not important who you are in turkey, the law is the same for everyone; if you attack someone or throw stone or worse molotov cocktails, and do some damage in public , you are arrested and brought in the courts, and if guilty, you are sent to prison.

- no country in the world sees it as a freedom of speech that someone supports the pkk terrorism, just once as in england against irish people, just as usa against anyone who supports al-qaeda, just as in europe against anyone who supports al-qaeda; so the limit of the sentence could be discussed, but i think no one , i believe the article does so, criticizes the fight against the terror, but the way the courts give punishment.

- the limit of sentence to those actions could be discussed, but no one has taken the verdict to european courts and been exonerated by the european court from the actions that they did in turkey and the sentence they are given; so nothing is illegal; if we consider the other parts of the world, we can even claim that turkish justice is very fair, for example in iran people are hung, or worse they are thrown at stones to death etc.

- in iran people are killed in streets, if considered any relation to turkic activites; or people get arrested and hung with fabricated evidence. so the troll is bringing this topic up without no sign of shame of her country.

...any trolling message could be answered with a great attention and meticulously.

ps: to turks, as i know iran (persians) uses this pkk terror issue inside the country in order to alienate azerbaijani turks in south azerbaijan against turkey turks by showing those terrorists and terror supporters as regular turkish citizens and by trying to show how turks oppress those regular kurds or how bad turks are; and also iran hired some ''academicians'' in order to invent some ''proofs'' about azerbaijani ethnicity and language. these two are the most basic persian propagandas that are thaught each persian, and you will always see those two main propaganda(s); so please do not be part of it; do not let them show and mix pkk terrorists as regular turkish citizens .


Regards.

[Ottoman-Turk]

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you idiot we dont have death sentece aswell

Link please. If you say some legal stuff (like terror laws more tough in UK), show some evidence.
I am yet to see a terrorist given death sentence here.
There is this guy 'Abu Qatada', hate cleric, they cant even deport him because he might die in yemen (or some ME country I forgot)