120 Europe and Central Asia Summary of Amnesty International’s Concerns in the Region, January – June 2007 Counter-terrorism 11-March trial On 15 February the trial began in the case of the 29 men accused of involvement in the 11 March terrorist attacks on commuter trains in Madrid in 2004 which killed 191 people and injured more than 1,800. AI sent observers to witness the opening stages of the trial. Several of the suspects have alleged ill-treatment during detention, particularly in the period of incommunicado detention immediately following arrest. At the start of May 13 of the suspects spent approximately one week on hunger strike (in some cases refusing both food and water) in protest at what they declared as the “unfounded” accusations against them. The chief judge in the case warned that their actions would not lead to a suspension of the trial which he said would continue in their absence, and the hunger strike was abandoned shortly after. On 30 June the oral hearing was closed for the judges to retire for sentencing. Guantánamo Bay interviews In February news came to light that Spanish police officers had visited the detention centre at the US naval base in Guantánamo Bay on up to three occasions under the government of Prime Minister José María Aznar (Popular Party, PP) between 2002 and 2003, allegedly to interrogate prisoners without judicial authorisation and/or facilitate the return of Spanish nationals to Spain. It is alleged that many of those interviewed by Spanish officials were not Spanish nationals. Following the visits, two men were returned to Spain (one a Spanish national, Abderrahman Ahmed, the other a Moroccan national resident in Spain, Lahcen Ikassrim) and placed on trial. In July 2006 they were ultimately acquitted on the grounds of lack of evidence, after the Supreme Court declared all evidence originating from Guantánamo Bay null and void (see AI Index: POL 10/001/2007). Amnesty International TURKEY Armed clashes civilians and bombing of There was a marked increase in clashes between the armed separatist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and Turkish armed forces during the first six months of the year with recorded casualties markedly higher than during the same period in 2006. In response to the increased conflict three temporary security zones were declared on 9 June covering the areas of Siirt, Şırnak and Hakkari. Given the record of human rights abuses during the time when a state of emergency was in effect, such a declaration raised concerns that further abuses may occur. A number of bombings resulted in the death or injury of civilians. In Izmir a bomb exploded in a marketplace on 12 May killing one person and leaving 14 others injured. The bomb went off the day before thousands of people were expected to join a demonstration in support of secularism in Turkey. No group claimed responsibility for the attack. On 22 May a suicide bombing in Ankara claimed the lives of eight civilians and injured more than 120 people. The motive and target of the attack remained unclear but it was speculated that the head of the armed forces, General Yaşar Büyükanıt, may have been the target as he was due to pass through the area where the bomb went off. Turkish authorities claimed that the person suspected of carrying out the suicide attack was a supporter of the PKK but the organization denied any involvement in the bombing. Some progress was made finding those responsible for previous bomb attacks. In the Ümraniye district of Istanbul arrests were made after the discovery of a weapons dump containing hand grenades and detonators on 13 June. Investigations continued into the connection between the weapons dump and the attack on Cumhuriyet newspaper offices in May 2006 in which hand grenades of the same type were used. A retired army officer was among those arrested. AI Index: EUR 01/010/2007