March 2005 New, brave Europe Austrian citizen Sandra Bakutz remains in Turkish prison EU adopts the
Turkish junta s democratic standards On February 10, 2005, Sandra Bakutz was arrested upon
arrival on the Istanbul airport. She had flown to Turkey in order to observe a political
mass trial of about 80 activists accused of being terrorists. Among those arrested on
April 1, 2004, in a concerted operation with several European governments are artists,
lawyers and journalists working for legal associations also according to Turkish law. The
evidence produced even led the regime press to voice severe doubts (1). For several days
the Turkish authorities did not give any explanation for the arrest. Only after repeated
interventions of the Austrian diplomatic representation the accusation was revealed:
membership in a terrorist organisation . But the evidence given is even more adventurous.
Sandra Bakutz should have taken part in a protest action in Brussels against the visit of
the Turkish foreign minister back in 2000. An article carried by a Turkish daily is quoted
where Sandra Bakutz is NOT mentioned. Actually she did not participate in the
demonstration as she was meeting European MPs, which can be testified. Furthermore she is
accused to have held a press conference for a Turkish prisoner in Germany who had gone on
hunger strike to ameliorate his penal conditions. According to the prosecutor both
activities have been carried out by the Turkish Revolutionary People s Liberation Party -
Front (DHKP-C) which should serve to provide evidence for Sandra s membership in that
organis! ation On the crisis of the Anti-globalisation Movement
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