The following is the text of the death sentence verdict against Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan, read out by presiding judge Mehmet Turgut Okyay. It was broadcast on Turkish TRT television.
"I am reading out the decision of the court. I am inviting you to stand while you listen to the paragraph on the verdict.
"As a result of this trial, our court has sentenced suspect Abdullah Ocalan to death in accordance with Article 125 of the Turkish Penal Code [TCK] as befitting his action, because we have determined that he undertook actions aimed at separating a
portion of the territories that are under the sovereignty of the state from the administration of the state, by guiding and
administering the armed terrorist organization PKK [Kurdistan
Workers' Party], which he established by means of the decisions
he made and the commands and instructions he issued.
In view of the intensity and continuity of the suspect's
actions and the fact that thousands of innocent people - regardless of whether they were infants, children, women or
elderly - were killed; because hundreds of the crimes that were
committed as a vehicle for the intended crime require the death
penalty; because the actions constitute a serious, close and
great danger to the country; and in order to uphold criminal
justice and comply with the rules of justice and propriety, the
court has unanimously decided
-
That there is no room for the
application of Article 59 of the TCK with regard to the suspect
- That the suspect be forever banned from public service in
accordance with Article 31 of the TCK
- That the suspect be kept
in detention throughout the criminal process in accordance with
Article 33 of the TCK
- That the time spent by the suspect in
detention during the course of the trial process be reduced
from his sentence and that he remain under arrest in accordance
with Article 40 of the TCK
- That his personal belongings -
namely, one Zenith watch, a glass case, a leather belt, Rayban
sunglasses, and a tie - be returned to him
- That the
intervenors' right to compensation be preserved
- That according
to the official legal fees in effect at the time, the suspect
pay 56,350,000 Turkish lira each to the lawyers representing
the intervenors
- And that the decision be announced to the
intervenors and their representatives who are not in attendance
via TRT in accordance with Article 21 of Law 2845.
The decision is subject to appeal by both sides.
Thank you
to all.
BBC Monitoring (http://www.monitor.bbc.co.uk), based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.