Thrown from a helicopter, Kurdish villager faces 15 years in prison

Thrown from a helicopter, Kurdish villager faces 15 years in prison
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In the second hearing of the trial of Kurdish villager Osman Siban, who was thrown out of a helicopter along with another villager in 2020, the prosecution demanded 15 years imprisonment

A Kurdish villager who was thrown from a helicopter and seriously injured in the eastern Turkish province of Van in 2020 now faces 15 years in prison in a trial in which he is charged with "membership in a terrorist organization," Mezopotamya News Agency reported.

In the second hearing of the trial against Osman Siban in the southern province of Mersin, the prosecution demanded that he be sentenced to 15 years in prison, basing the charges solely on witness testimony, as in many other cases.

The indictment said Siban "participated in militia activities and transferred logistical and vital materials on the organization's instructions"

It was also alleged that members of the organization took provisions and living materials from Siban's house.

One of the witnesses stated that he did not know Sidar, while another confirmed the accusations of the prosecution.

Siban defended himself by saying that no members of a terrorist organization had come to his house.

"I stay in my house two months a year, mowing the lawn and taking care of the house. My house is empty 10 months a year," he said.

The third hearing in the case will be held on April 11.

On September 11, 2020, Osman Siban and fellow Servet Turgut were taken into custody by soldiers in the Kurdish-majority eastern province of Van and found two days later in the intensive care unit of a hospital.

Siban later said he and Turgut had been dropped from a helicopter after being detained and tortured by soldiers.

The hospital report said that "they were taken to the emergency room by paramedics after being informed by security personnel that they had fallen from a greater height."