Turkey sentences peace mothers to 10 months

Turkish daily news reports:

http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/photo/72006/m49252.jpg

Peace mothers sentenced to 10 months

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Twenty-four women who call themselves peace mothers were found guilty of voicing separatist propaganda by the Diyarbakır 4th Criminal Court on Tuesday and each was sentenced to serve 10 months in prison.

  The women, aged between 40 and 75, had chained themselves to each other to block traffic in Diyarbakır and had called for a general amnesty and an end to isolation in prisons. They were arrested on Feb. 22 this year and freed after spending two months in jail.

  None of the accused were present at the court on Tuesday. The women's lawyer Meral Beştaş said the common characteristic of all her clients was the fact that they were all mothers. �The demonstration and the slogans were aimed at peace. It was an innocent act and should be protected under the freedom of expression. If not, the court will be punishing a call for peace.�

  The prosecutor called for the women to be found guilty of propagating slogans of a separatist group.

  The court noted that the accused had blocked the traffic and carried a banner that said: �Mr. �calan is our political will.� Abdullah �calan is the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

  The court said the women were guilty of spreading separatist propaganda, and sentenced them to one year imprisonment each. The court said it took mitigating factors into account to lesson the sentence to 10 months' imprisonment.

  If the Supreme Court of Appeals approves the sentences, the women will return to jail.


One words sums up my reaction to this: abhorrant.
If anybody has more info on the incident please let us know.