The sentences that were handed down to nine defendants in the 10 October Ankara Massacre Case were upheld by Ankara’s Regional Court of Justice in Turkey.
More than one hundred people were killed and over five hundred people were injured in a suicide attack outside Central Ankara railway station on 10 October 2015. The attack was organized by ISIS and the victims had gathered to march for peace before the general elections on 1 November 2015. The Ankara Massacre represents one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in the history of Turkey.
Applications by lawyers to extend the scope of the prosecution to consider issues relating to the liability of the state and state officials in the massacre were rejected by the court. The ’10 October Ankara Massacre Trial Lawyer Commission’ issued a press statement about this decision of the court. It asked: “Why is there resistance against revealing the truth behind the massacre?”
The lawyers stated that there are officials who are also responsible for the massacre but none of them are being charged with any crime: “There were officials that identified people who planned the massacre and suicide bombers. But these officials did not take any action over it. Some officials gave way to the vehicle carrying the suicide bombers and removed checkpoints. Is there no responsibility for those officials who hid intelligence, sprayed tear gas amongst the dead and wounded at the site of the massacre, and prevented the early intervention of medical teams to the site of the massacre? Why hasn’t a single public official been charged?”
Related News
Police block 10 October commemoration of the 2015 ISIS suicide bombing in Ankara
