Eight soldiers taken hostage and released by PKK imprisonedNovember 12, 2007 - 15:14 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Eight Turkish soldiers taken hostage by Kurdish rebels in a deadly attack on Oct. 21 and eventually released on November 4, were imprisoned yesterday after the Van martial court charged them with disobeying orders and crossing into another country without permission.There were unconfirmed reports in Turkish media alleging that two of captured soldiers were moles and collaborating with the terrorists. However Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit rejected such allegations and said, the accusations against eight soldiers released by PKK terrorists were inappropriate. The soldiers were interrogated by the General Staff in Ankara following their release, then sent to the eastern province of Van and put on trial. The martial court claimed strong evidence that an extraordinary breach of military discipline and insistence on disobeying orders existed, and arrested the soldiers before sending them to Van Military Prison. The soldiers' lawyer, Ramazan Korkmaz, appointed by the Van Bar council said the soldiers denied the charges and said they did not disobey any orders. Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin after the soldiers had been delivered to Turkey had said in a statement that he was not too happy about the release of the soldiers, saying he could not accept the fact that they went with terrorists that night, Turkish Daily News reports. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. Armenia: Defense Ministry warns against involving army in political processes The Ministry’s statement came after a video surfaced online, showing soldiers joining the protests in Tavush. Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. Ucom equips four bus stops in Ijevan with free Wi-Fi Ucom now provides free Wi-Fi coverage in smart bus stops in four communities of Ijevan. |