Ankara High Criminal Court Sentences 20 Members Of Dev-yol To Death Penalty

ANKARA (A.A) - 16.07.2002 - Ankara High Criminal Court no: 6 sentenced 20 members of illegal Revolutionary Way (DEV-YOL)organization to death penalty on Tuesday.
At the end of today's hearing session, Chief Judge Mehmet Berber stated that the court delegation had decided to sentence 20 suspects to death penalty on charges of ''destroying the constitutional and fundamental orders of the state'' in accordance with Article 146 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK).
He said that the death penalties were commuted to life imprisonment due to good behavior of the suspects in accordance with Article 59/1 of the TCK.
Meanwhile, two suspects who were under 18 on the date of the crime, were sentenced to 16 years and 8 months in prison.
The case started at Ankara Martial Law Court no: 1 on October 18, 1982 with 574 suspects.
Number of suspects increased to 723 after all files were combined.
The Martial Law Court sentenced 7 suspects to death penalty, 39 suspects to life imprisonment, and 346 suspects to imprisonment ranging from 2 years to 20 years on July 27, 1989.
Supreme Court of Appeals Criminal Department no: 11 annulled local court's decision and said that 23 suspects who were sentenced to life imprisonment should be condemned to death.
Later, High Criminal Court no: 6 started to hear the case of these 23 suspects.