Friday, July 10, 2015

Court-martial life sentences for torture death of Turkish soldier

A Turkish military court has sentenced two soldiers to life imprisonment for the torture death of a soldier who was in disciplinary confinement in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The warden received only a suspended 7-1/2 month sentence for dereliction; three others were acquitted of dereliction. The victim's family announced plans to appeal the decision. Details here.

The case is reminiscent of the notorious South Korean incident in which a conscript died of exhaustion while in disciplinary confinement. That case led directly to the abolition of ROK military courts. The Turkish life sentences presumably rule out any similarly dramatic political reaction, but the leniency shown the warden may not be the last word on this appalling episode.

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