|
|
|
|
| Seven soldiers were killed on Monday in the Reþadiye district of the central province of Tokat after Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) terrorists opened fire on soldiers patrolling a rural area in the district. At least three soldiers were wounded in the attack. One of the wounded was in critical condition and was taken to a hospital in Tokat, while two were hospitalized at Reþadiye State Hospital. Reþadiye Mayor Rafet Erden told Turkish broadcasters that more security forces were sent to the area where the clash occurred. “We extend our condolences to the families of the slain soldiers. May they rest in peace,” he stated. The bloody attack came at a critical point as the Constitutional Court was preparing to hear a closure case against the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP). The party has refused to label the PKK a terrorist party despite encouragement from Turkish politicians. PKK supporters have launched a series of demonstrations across the country since last week over DTP claims about a “smaller and low-standard” prison cell for the jailed leader of the PKK, Abdullah Öcalan. Öcalan is serving a life sentence on Ýmralý Island, located off the coast of Ýstanbul. He was the sole inmate until recently, but eight other convicts have now been transferred to the island, and he was placed in a different cell. Throughout last week there was controversy about the prison conditions of the terrorist leader. His lawyers claimed that a new cell built for Öcalan is six-and-a-half square meters, compared to the old cell’s 12 square meters. The new cell’s window is reportedly too high to look through unassisted. The Justice Ministry denied the claims in a statement last week. The ministry underlined that the quality of Öcalan’s new cell was much higher than standards set for inmates by the EU and the UN. |