Turkey: Court rules gov’t failed to protect Christians
By Joseph DeCaro, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – The Malatya Administrative Court ruled last week that the Turkish government was negligent in its duty to protect three Christians who were tortured and killed in 2007 and ordered it to pay one million lira ($333,980) in compensation for their families.
According to Morning Star News, the court ruled that the Interior Ministry and the Malatya Governor’s Office ignored reports that Turkish nationalists had targeted Ugur Yüksel, Necati Aydin and Tilmann Geske just before they were killed.
On April 18, 2007, the three men were interrogated about their Christian activities and then brutally murdered in the office of the Zirve Publishing House in Malatya.
Although police quickly arrested five suspects, subpoenaed witnesses refused to testify against them without ever being penalized for contempt of court.
The next hearing is set for March 1.