A-Infos (en) Turk Police Detain Six for Rights Shooting

[Tom Burghardt <tburghardt@igc.apc.org>]

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          TURK POLICE DETAIN SIX FOR RIGHTS SHOOTING
_________________________________________________________________
 
     02:36 p.m May 22, 1998 Eastern
     By Pelin Turgut
 
     ISTANBUL, May 22 (Reuters) - Turkish police arrested six
people believed to be linked to far-right gangs on Friday for the
high profile shooting of the country's top human rights
campaigner, the Interior Ministry said.
   
     Interior Minister Murat Basesgioglu said in a statement that
police had detained two people accused of being the gunmen who
shot and seriously wounded Human Rights Association leader Akin
Birdal six times in the chest and leg on May 12.
   
     The four other suspects are accused of having organised the
attack. But police are still searching for an alleged mastermind
who they believe gave the order.
   
     The statement said the six arrested men had made full
confessions. Police from Ankara arrived in Istanbul to escort
them back to the capital for an identity parade.
   
     State-run Anatolian news agency said fingerprints of one of
the suspects were found to be matching with the fingerprints at
the scene. It named the suspect as Bahri Eken and said he had
been convicted for burglary in the past.
   
     The suspects were linked to far-right criminal gangs blamed
for a string of unsolved political killings, Anatolian said.
   
     Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz said the suspects had been
involved in a attack on Flash TV television studios last year
following a broadcast interview with an organised crime boss who
implicated several leading figures in corruption.
   
     Shady links between state officials and mafia gangs were
unearthed in the wake of a 1996 car crash in which a government
deputy, top policeman, wanted gangster and former beauty queen
were hauled from the wreckage. Only the MP survived.
   
     Yilmaz last week dismissed suggestions that the state might
be implicated in Birdal's shooting, saying it was the result of
an internal dispute within the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK).
   
     The prime minister vowed on coming to power to get to the
bottom of murky state ties with underworld gangs. But opposition
MPs say he has largely failed in his declared aim.
   
     The assault on Birdal followed leaks to the mainstream press
of the purported testimony of a captured Kurd rebel commander
linking Birdal to Kurdish guerrillas. Birdal's group denies any
links to the rebels.
   
     Anatolian said the suspects had told police that they were
planning another armed attack on an Istanbul office of the
pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party. It did not elaborate.
   
     The shooting prompted streets protests in Turkey and
widespread concern abroad.
   
     British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook visited Birdal in
hospital this week and called for the attackers to be found
swiftly and brought to justice. Hannes Swoboda, senior left-wing
European Parliament deputy, also visited Birdal on Thursday.
   
     Birdal's lawyer on Friday said police had not informed him
of the arrests, but cautiously welcomed the news.
   
     ``Akin Birdal says that he clearly remembers what his
attackers looked like, and would easily be able to identify
them,'' Sedat Aslantas said.
   
     Akin Birdal's doctors on Thursday said his condition was no
longer critical.
 
     Copyright 1998 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
 
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