Yekta Uzunoglu
Encyclopedia
Yekta Uzunoglu or Yekta Geylanî (b. 1953 Silvan
, Diyarbakır
, Turkey
), is a contemporary Turkish writer, translator and entrepreneur of Kurdish
origin. In 1971, he moved to France to continue his studies. From 1973 to 1979, he studied general medicine at the University of Prague
. He became involved in the resistance movement against the communist regime of Czechoslovakia
after 1968. When the regime of Gustav Husák
began to hand Kurdish students over to Saddam Hussein
, he was among a group of Kurdish students who organized a hunger strike. After completing his studies, he was expelled from Prague and moved to Germany in the 1980s where he stayed for a couple of years and helped in establishing Kurdish Institute of Bonn
. He returned to Prague
after the Velvet Revolution
. He has been an active member of Médecins Sans Frontières
, and has helped Kurds in Iraqi Kurdistan
and set up a field hospital. He received the František Kriegel
prize for civic courage
in 2006.
and works of Karel Čapek
into Kurdish
. He has also cooperated with the Kurdish Institute of Paris
.
, Yekta was arrested in September 1994 based on charges of abduction and torture laid by Göksel Otan, a Turkish citizen living in the Czech Republic
. Amnesty International stated that they believe the accuser to have been working as a police agent. However, statements of several Czech witnesses and representatives of a pharmaceutical company contradict the timing of the alleged charges. In 1996, the Czech Minister of Interior, Jan Ruml, admitted that Yekta had been abused by the police. The charges of conspiracy to murder and economic fraud were withdrawn in April 1995 and June 1998, respectively. He was released on 12 March 1997 after 31 months in custody.
Yekta was granted German citizenship while imprisoned, he chose to stay in the Czech Republic
in order to clear his name. He appealed a decision to close down his case in September 2003. The court hearing began on June 25, 2004 but the process was delayed until August 2006. On 5 and 6 October 2006, the accuser (Göksel Otan), retracted his original testimony and declared that Yekta Uzunoglu did not torture him.
During the trial, Yekta Uzunoglu received support from various organizations such as The Czech Helsinki Committee (CHC), The Charta 77 Foundation. Amnesty International has urged the Czech authorities to investigate the violations of Yekta's rights during the trial and to review this case in order to identify the flaw in the Czech criminal justice system.
Several renowned Czech figures including former president Václav Havel
and actor Zdenek Sverak have expressed support for Uzunoglu's quest to clear his name.
and former communists including foreign minister Jaromin Johanes who now lives in Turkey.
Silvan, Turkey
Silvan is a district of the Diyarbakır Province of Turkey. Its population is 41,451 Notable attraction is Malabadi Bridge.-History:Silvan has been identified by several scholars as one of two possible locations of Tigranakert, the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Armenia, which was built by...
, Diyarbakır
Diyarbakir Province
Diyarbakır Province is a province in eastern Turkey. The province covers an area of 15,355 km² and the population is 1,528,958. The provincial capital is Diyarbakir...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
), is a contemporary Turkish writer, translator and entrepreneur of Kurdish
Kurds in Turkey
Ethnic Kurds compose a significant portion of the population in Turkey . Unlike the Turks, the Kurds speak an Indo-European language...
origin. In 1971, he moved to France to continue his studies. From 1973 to 1979, he studied general medicine at the University of Prague
Charles University in Prague
Charles University in Prague is the oldest and largest university in the Czech Republic. Founded in 1348, it was the first university in Central Europe and is also considered the earliest German university...
. He became involved in the resistance movement against the communist regime of Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
after 1968. When the regime of Gustav Husák
Gustáv Husák
Gustáv Husák was a Slovak politician, president of Czechoslovakia and a long-term Communist leader of Czechoslovakia and of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia...
began to hand Kurdish students over to Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
, he was among a group of Kurdish students who organized a hunger strike. After completing his studies, he was expelled from Prague and moved to Germany in the 1980s where he stayed for a couple of years and helped in establishing Kurdish Institute of Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
. He returned to Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
after the Velvet Revolution
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that took place from November 17 – December 29, 1989...
. He has been an active member of Médecins Sans Frontières
Médecins Sans Frontières
' , or Doctors Without Borders, is a secular humanitarian-aid non-governmental organization best known for its projects in war-torn regions and developing countries facing endemic diseases. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland...
, and has helped Kurds in Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan or Kurdistan Region is an autonomous region of Iraq. It borders Iran to the east, Turkey to the north, Syria to the west and the rest of Iraq to the south. The regional capital is Arbil, known in Kurdish as Hewlêr...
and set up a field hospital. He received the František Kriegel
František Kriegel
František Kriegel was a Czechoslovak politician, physician, and a member of the Communist Party reform wing of Prague Spring...
prize for civic courage
Civic courage
Civic courage is the willingness to talk directly to people in authority. Alternatives are avoiding authority all together, or communicating only what is perceived to be expected. Actions that require civic courage vary by culture.-See also:...
in 2006.
Works
He has participated in editing of a Kurdish grammar book, translated parts of BibleBible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
and works of Karel Čapek
Karel Capek
Karel Čapek was Czech writer of the 20th century.-Biography:Born in 1890 in the Bohemian mountain village of Malé Svatoňovice to an overbearing, emotional mother and a distant yet adored father, Čapek was the youngest of three siblings...
into Kurdish
Kurdish language
Kurdish is a dialect continuum spoken by the Kurds in western Asia. It is part of the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian group of Indo-European languages....
. He has also cooperated with the Kurdish Institute of Paris
Kurdish Institute of Paris
Kurdish Institute of Paris , founded in February 1983, is an organization focused on Kurdish language and culture. It is one of the main Kurdish academic centers in Europe...
.
Quest for Justice
According to Amnesty InternationalAmnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
, Yekta was arrested in September 1994 based on charges of abduction and torture laid by Göksel Otan, a Turkish citizen living in the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
. Amnesty International stated that they believe the accuser to have been working as a police agent. However, statements of several Czech witnesses and representatives of a pharmaceutical company contradict the timing of the alleged charges. In 1996, the Czech Minister of Interior, Jan Ruml, admitted that Yekta had been abused by the police. The charges of conspiracy to murder and economic fraud were withdrawn in April 1995 and June 1998, respectively. He was released on 12 March 1997 after 31 months in custody.
Yekta was granted German citizenship while imprisoned, he chose to stay in the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
in order to clear his name. He appealed a decision to close down his case in September 2003. The court hearing began on June 25, 2004 but the process was delayed until August 2006. On 5 and 6 October 2006, the accuser (Göksel Otan), retracted his original testimony and declared that Yekta Uzunoglu did not torture him.
During the trial, Yekta Uzunoglu received support from various organizations such as The Czech Helsinki Committee (CHC), The Charta 77 Foundation. Amnesty International has urged the Czech authorities to investigate the violations of Yekta's rights during the trial and to review this case in order to identify the flaw in the Czech criminal justice system.
Several renowned Czech figures including former president Václav Havel
Václav Havel
Václav Havel is a Czech playwright, essayist, poet, dissident and politician. He was the tenth and last President of Czechoslovakia and the first President of the Czech Republic . He has written over twenty plays and numerous non-fiction works, translated internationally...
and actor Zdenek Sverak have expressed support for Uzunoglu's quest to clear his name.
Allegations of the involvement of the Turkish government
Yekta alleges that the police charges against him were part of a conspiracy orchestrated by the Turkish government under Tansu ÇillerTansu Çiller
Tansu Penbe Çiller is a Turkish economist and politician. She was Turkey's first and only female Prime Minister.- Early career :She is the daughter of a Turkish governor of Bilecik province during the 1950s. She graduated from the School of Economics at Robert College after finishing the American...
and former communists including foreign minister Jaromin Johanes who now lives in Turkey.