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Parliamentary commission looks into Siirt rape scandal
Turkish dailies on Monday reported that eight minors aged 13 and 14 who study at a boarding school in Siirt’s Pervari district had raped two toddlers aged 2 and 3 last year, killing one of them.
Speaking before the meeting, commission head Halide İncekara described the incidents as “violent” and said society would solve the problem together, referring to statements by Pervari Mayor İsmail Bilen, who said they had dealt with the problem on their own. She also noted that there is no question of ruling or opposition party in solving a social problem, adding that she felt that the judicial process has been progressing slowly but that may not be true.
The Ministry of Education noted in a statement on Wednesday that the principal and deputy principals of the boarding school were removed from their posts in April 2009 over the toddler rape case.
The ministry has sent inspectors to the eastern province of Siirt to carry out an investigation in the province.
Speaking after the inspectors’ visit to his office on Tuesday, Siirt Governor Necati Şentürk told reporters that they will conduct a full-fledged investigation into the situation and work on how to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The governor denied claims that the incidents had been deliberately hidden from the public, saying no restrictions were placed on the media as they reported on the stories.
Siirt residents uncomfortable over media coverage
A group of Siirt residents convened on Tuesday to protest against the news stories, claiming that media outlets were trying to give the city a bad name. Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Siirt deputy Mehmet Yılmaz Helvacıoğlu said he was disturbed by the media implying that Siirt residents approve of the incidents.
Pervari Mayor Bilen said the families of those who were involved in the incidents have been brought together for reconciliation, adding that no one should exploit the incidents for political gain.
Republic People’s Party (CHP) deputies Ahmet Ersin and Malik Ejder Özdemir traveled to Siirt on Monday to be briefed about the incidents. A group of Siirt residents protested the CHP deputies’ visit at the entrance of the district governor’s office on Tuesday. Ersin said they came to look into human rights abuses surrounding the incidents. Both deputies left late on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, in Manisa, police arrested 26 people on Tuesday in connection with the rape and procurement for prostitution of minors.
Officers from the Alaşehir District Police Department, acting with the Manisa Public Prosecutor’s Office, took 31 people into custody on suspicion of forcing minors into prostitution for monetary gain. Following the interrogation of the 31 suspects, police released three individuals. The remaining 28 suspects were sent to a court on Tuesday evening for legal processing following their questioning; two were released pending trial.
The suspects are charged with forcing two girls, aged 14 and 16, and one 16-year-old boy into prostitution. Police were tracking the prostitution ring and gathering evidence for some time before the bust.
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