Priest Bileçen charged with 'being a member of organization'  

2020-02-09 18:02:01


	MARDİN - The priest Sefer (Aho) Bileçen of the Mor Yakup Church (also known as Church of Saint Jacob in Nisibison) were imprisoned with charges of “aiding organization" and he was released on January 14 due to reactions. 2 days after the release of the priest Bileçen, the bill of indicment has been prepared with the charges of "being a member of organization".

	In the indictment prepared against Priest Bileçen, who was detained and arrested on charges of “aiding the organization”, this time includes the claim that he was a member of the PKK.

	 

	'WITNESS' EMERGED AFTER A YEAR

	 

	According to the indictment, it was claimed that after the denouncement that 6 HPG (People's De fence Forces) members were in the rural district of Dibek (Badîbe) in Nusaybin, Mardin on September 28, 2018 and the follow-up was initiated by the unmanned combat aerial vehicles (SİHA). Allegetions that the HPG members were hidden in the monastry until September 30 2018 found place in the indictment. After a year, on September 27 2019, one claimed HPG member Müjdat S. surrendered and gived statements indicating that priest Bileçen helped them.

	 

	FIRST TRIAL IS ON MARCH 19

	 

	After  Mardin 4th High Criminal Court accepting this indictment,  the court demanded an investigation to see whether there were any further investigations against Priest Bileçen, and that the approved copies of Müjdat S.'s statements be included in the file and gave the date of March 19, 2020 for the first trial.

	 

	'I HELPED BECAUSE OF MY FAITH'

	 

	PRiest Bileçen had shared the following message through his lawyers after he was imprisoned: "Two organization members came to the monastry in 2018. They asked for food and I gave them. I have never denied what I did. Whoever knocks on my door, I would share my food. I have to do this because of my philosophy and religion. And I can not lie, because I am a priest. I do this not to aid any organization, but on the necessities of my faith. Based on philosophical grounds, I can not as well give anybody in."

	 

	MA / Ahmet Kanbal