Life terms sought for PKK leaders in Ankara attack
Prosecutors Wednesday sought life sentences for 68 suspects linked to the PKK's bomb attack on a military bus in the capital Ankara earlier this year that killed 29.
Most of those named in the indictment are still at large and half are senior leaders in the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist group by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU.
In the document seen by Anadolu Agency, the Ankara Chief Prosecutor's Office requested 30 aggravated life sentences for each defendant if they are convicted. Under Turkish law, such a sentence means remaining behind bars until death, usually in isolation.
The suspects, 20 of whom have been in custody since shortly after the Feb. 17 attack, face charges of murder and crimes against the state. Arrest warrants for the other 48 were issued last week.
The blast saw a car packed with explosives detonate alongside a military bus ferrying service personnel and civilians during evening rush hour traffic. The driver, Abdülbaki Somer, a Turkish national from the province of Van in his mid-20s, also died in the explosion.
Among the 29 killed were at least 20 military members. The explosion occurred in an area of central Ankara where there are a large number of military complexes and apartment blocks for service families.
The suspects named include acting PKK leader Murat Karayılan and fellow co-founders and members of the group's leadership committee, Cemil Bayık and Fehman Hüseyin. Also identified is Salih Muslim, the leader of the Syrian PKK offshoot the Democratic Union Party (PYD).
Since it ended a unilateral truce with Turkey last summer, the terrorist group the PKK launched a string of attacks targeting security forces and civilians and killed hundreds in a campaign of suicide bombings, clashes with security personnel and car bombings.
Most of those named in the indictment are still at large and half are senior leaders in the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist group by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU.
In the document seen by Anadolu Agency, the Ankara Chief Prosecutor's Office requested 30 aggravated life sentences for each defendant if they are convicted. Under Turkish law, such a sentence means remaining behind bars until death, usually in isolation.
The suspects, 20 of whom have been in custody since shortly after the Feb. 17 attack, face charges of murder and crimes against the state. Arrest warrants for the other 48 were issued last week.
The blast saw a car packed with explosives detonate alongside a military bus ferrying service personnel and civilians during evening rush hour traffic. The driver, Abdülbaki Somer, a Turkish national from the province of Van in his mid-20s, also died in the explosion.
Among the 29 killed were at least 20 military members. The explosion occurred in an area of central Ankara where there are a large number of military complexes and apartment blocks for service families.
The suspects named include acting PKK leader Murat Karayılan and fellow co-founders and members of the group's leadership committee, Cemil Bayık and Fehman Hüseyin. Also identified is Salih Muslim, the leader of the Syrian PKK offshoot the Democratic Union Party (PYD).
Since it ended a unilateral truce with Turkey last summer, the terrorist group the PKK launched a string of attacks targeting security forces and civilians and killed hundreds in a campaign of suicide bombings, clashes with security personnel and car bombings.