Judge says Armenian-Turkish soldier killed ‘accidentally’March 27, 2013 - 14:06 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A Diyarbakır military judge sentenced a private to four years and five months in prison for killing Armenian-Turkish soldier Sevag Balıkçı with “conscious negligence,” but stopped short of sentencing the suspect to the more serious charge of deliberate murder, Hürriyet Daily News reported. “It seems my dear Sevag’s life was that cheap, so killing is legal,” the dead soldier’s mother, Ani Balıkçı, told the HDN on the phone. Ağaoğlu, who shot Balıkçı on April 24, 2011, will serve three years in prison for killing Balıkçı “with a stray bullet.” In passing the sentence, the Diyarbakır Air Force Command Military Court dismissed the Balıkçı family’s lawyers’ demands to sentence Ağaoğlu on charges of deliberate murder. Ani Balıkçı and lawyer Cem Halavurt said they would appeal at a higher court and would consider carrying the case to the European Court of Human Rights if their demands were not met. They will also hold a press conference on the court verdict. “We are determined to continue our legal battle,” Balıkçı said. “We may even take the case to the European Court of Human Rights if we have to.” Activist Garo Paylan reminded that the date of Balıkçı’s killing was the anniversary of April 24, the Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day. “He was killed on an April 24 and it coincided with Easter, but the judge did not pay heed to our warnings,” Baylan said. “The investigation should have been extended.” Paylan said Ağaoğlu’s lawyers were expecting the decision. “After the decision was announced, they made statements such as, ‘The minorities are our brothers,’” Baylan said. “That was a decision they had been expecting.” Top stories Six total incidents have burned 19 old-growth trees. Friday night 8 trees were torched along the beautiful main entrance. The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. Hikmet Hajiyev has said that there is no place for USAID operation in Azerbaijan any longer. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. Partner news | Azerbaijan must respect human rights, Scholz tells Aliyev German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for greater respect for human rights in Azerbaijan. 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. 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. Armenia, Russia discuss life extension of Metsamor nuclear plant Issues regarding the extension of life of the 2nd power unit of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant were discussed in Yerevan. |