This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000234 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU ADANA
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR DECEMBER 13, 2005 
 
¶1.      This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for December 
13, 2005.  Please note that Turkish press reports often contain 
errors or exaggerations; AmConsulate Adana does not vouch for 
the accuracy of the reports summarized here. 
 
POLITICAL, SECURITY, HUMAN RIGHTS 
 
¶2.      HURRIYET:       Diyarbakir's 5th Heavy Penalty Court sentenced 
a 27-year-old woman to one in year in prison for shouting a 
Kurdish slogan saying "Long live Apo (Abdullah Ocalan)" during 
an unauthorized demonstration held on May 1 in Diyarbakir.  The 
defendant rejected the claims that she shouted slogans in 
support for Ocalan, and claimed that she had only shouted "Long 
live the brotherhood of people."  The  women's offence was 
proved by police film. 
 
¶3.      CUMHURIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM:      A stent has been placed in 
the artery of Van Centennial University Rector Yucel Askin. 
Health condition of Askin is reported as good following the 
operation. (This press summary is from 12/11 edition.) The 
doctors have warned that Askin's health condition might 
deteriorate if the court decides to send him to prison, reported 
Cumhuriyet daily. 
 
¶4.      RADIKAL / SABAH:        The controversial trial of Yucel Askin 
will be held tomorrow at Van's 3rd Heavy Penalty Court.  There 
are nine defendants of the case; Rector Yucel Askin, 
Vice-Rectors Prof. Ayse Yuksel and Prof. Hasan Ceylan, General 
Secretary Prof. Isik Tepe, Dean of Agricultural Faculty Prof. 
 
SIPDIS 
Firat Cengiz, Deputy General Secretary Salih Yurtkuran, three 
staff members of the university and the Turkish representative 
of a Spanish company.  Charges were brought against Askin for 
alleged irregularities conducted during a tender of the 
university for alleged attempts to breach personal  privacy 
considerations and collect information about individual 
political views, ethnic origins and religious beliefs of 418 
people and students in order to use such information as a threat 
on people's future professional careers and for alleged 
formation of an "illegal organization" (within the university) 
by means of providing unfair economic gains and job 
opportunities in academic and administrative positions.  The Van 
Prosecutor's Office have demanded a total of record-breaking 
2,131 years of prison sentence for the charges brought against 
Askin and 1,254 years of prison sentence for the Vice-Rectors. 
Since five months have passed since the arrest of the rector, 
and because of the rector's serious health condition, the Court 
will most probably order the release of the rector at tomorrow's 
trial, reported the newspaper.  Rector Askin said that he will 
attend the court session under the supervision of a doctor.  The 
rector will stand trial on Friday for other charges brought 
against him for his alleged illegal keeping of historical 
artifacts at this home. 
 
¶5.      HURRIYET / RADIKAL:     Separate delegations comprised of 
the CHP (Republican People's Party) and YOK (Higher Education 
Board) members will go to Van today to attend the trial of Van 
Centennial University Rector Yucel Askin as observers.  CHP 
delegation will submit a report on the trial to CHP leader 
later. 
 
¶6.      RADIKAL / HURRIYET:     Sirnak Governor Osman Gunes and 
Silopi Mayor Muhsin Konur, who were waiting for the arrival of 
Minister of Education Huseyin Celik to the Silopi district, 
quarreled over the problem of trucks piling up at the Habur 
border gate in Silopi and the allegations of bribery there, in 
front of journalists.  While Governor Gunes argued that police 
alone cannot be blamed for immoral actions for which he 
contended the way was paved by the people, the mayor argued that 
both parties engaging in immoral illegal actions should be held 
liable for these actions. 
 
¶7.      CUMHURIYET / RADIKAL / HURRIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM: A 
39-year-old person, who was reportedly infuriated by his 
family's refusal to consent to his marriage plans, opened fire 
with a Kalashnikov gun at people dancing during a wedding 
ceremony in Diyarbakir.  Thirteen people were wounded as a 
result of the incident.  The Jandarma arrested the assailant. 
 
¶8.      RADIKAL /       OZGUR GUNDEM:   A 5.3-magnitude earthquake 
which shook Bingol's Karliova district did not cause any 
casualties, but sparked great panic among the people. (This 
summary is from 12/11 edition.)  Radikal daily reported that 
fifty houses, which were being built by the government for the 
victims of the March 12 and March 14 earthquakes in Bingol's 
Karliova district have not been completed for four and a half 
months.  Local people, blaming authorities for starting the 
construction process late, are worried about how they can 
survive in tents in the approaching winter conditions. 
 
¶9.      OZGUR GUNDEM:   During inspections at a Jandarma 
checkpoint on a road in Batman, teams from the Batman Jandarma 
Regional Command discovered many guns and drums hidden in an 
unseen section of a private vehicle. 
 
¶10.     OZGUR GUNDEM:   Erdal Akpinar, a brigadier general, 
reportedly held a meeting last week and invited the Yuksekova 
Mayor and the non-governmental organizations to a meeting at the 
Brigade Command. Akpinar, after showing the invitees a 15-minute 
film of the last two year's public demonstrations, reportedly 
drew attention to the yellow-red-green colored flags carried by 
the people during the demonstrations and said, "All my tolerance 
has been exhausted by these actions...The state is powerful and 
due measures will be taken hereinafter." The general further 
disclosed that soldiers would not shop from the local tradesmen 
until August 2006.  NGOs, who reportedly asked why DEHAP members 
were not invited to the meeting, told the general that the 
problems could not be solved through threats and oppression. 
 
¶11.     OZGUR GUNDEM:   Following the refusal of the Ovacik 
Subgovernor's Office to further a prosecution process, the 
Malatya Regional Administrative Court also overturned the charge 
filed against the security forces for allegedly setting a forest 
on fire in the Ovacik district of Tunceli between September 15 
and 21, 2004. 
¶12.     OZGUR GUNDEM: Sirnak's former DEHAP Provincial Chairperson 
Izzet Belge, who was detained early in December together with 
six people in Silopi as a result of the security forces' home 
raids (see press summaries 12/06 and 07 and 08), was released a 
few days later.  Belge dismissed any alleged links the detainees 
had with the recent bomb attacks in Silopi and blamed the media 
for fabricating the news of the bombs found in a house. 
 
¶13.     OZGUR GUNDEM:   The 2005 Turkish dictionary prepared by 
the Turkish Language Institution reportedly does not mention the 
etymological sources of Kurdish words inherited by the Turkish 
language.  Despite that the dictionary cites the names of even 
defunct languages as it traces back the history of words. The 
etymological resources of Kurdish-origin words are given either 
as Persian or "colloquial word." 
 
¶14.     OZGUR GUNDEM:   The farmers were not able to sell 50,000 
tons of lentils they cultivated in the Kiziltepe district of 
Mardin because of recently imported lentils in the market. 
 
 
¶15.     SABAH:  Turkish Parliament's Human Rights Commission 
completd a 20-page report it has been drafting concerning the 
November 9 Semdinli bombing.  According to some highlights of 
the report, General Yasar Buyukanit's remarks saying that he was 
well acquainted with Ali Kaya, one of the officers held as a 
defendant of the Semdinli case, was reportedly an "unfortunate" 
intervention in the ongoing judicial process.  The military 
planes flying low over the people attending a funeral of the 
persons who died during the demonstrations following the 
Semdinli incident, was perceived by the region of the people as 
"intimidation."  The report suggested an end to the relationship 
between the state and (PKK) defectors, and urged taking 
necessary measures to hinder the formation of illegal 
organizations. 
 
¶16.     CUMHURIYET:     Two families peacefully ended a 30-year-long 
feud at a dinner organized with the efforts of the Viransehir 
Subgovernor (Sanliurfa province), Mayor and some influential 
families in the district. 
REID