The Governing Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union,

Referring to the case of Mr. Mehmet Sinçar, a former member of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey of Kurdish origin, who was shot dead at close range in September 1993 in Batman, and to the resolution adopted at its 189th session (October 2011),

Recalling that two individuals, Mr. Rifat Demir and Mr. Cihan Yildiz, were found guilty of the many murders, including that of Mr. Sinçar, perpetrated in the 1990s in south-eastern Turkey; that both were sentenced to life imprisonment; that Mr. Sinçar’s family, which was admitted as joint plaintiff in the proceedings, appealed the verdict, which it considered to have failed to establish the identity of the instigators or to take account of reports showing that the many assassinations during the period in question in south-eastern Turkey, which is where Mr. Sinçar was killed, were part of a "State policy" to combat terrorism; considering that the appeal proceedings are currently under way,

Considering that the source recently informed the Committee that two books published in the 1990s refer to statements by intelligence agents acknowledging the involvement of the Turkish Intelligence Service in Mr. Sinçar’s murder and identifying five agents who were involved in planning and executing the crime and whose names are apparently often mentioned in connection with political assassinations and forced disappearances,

1. Takes note with interest of the information provided by the source and requests the Turkish parliamentary authorities to indicate whether or not it was examined during the investigation and to what effect;

2. Remains hopeful that the ongoing judicial proceedings will open up a real prospect for the full elucidation of Mr. Sinçar’s assassination;

3. Requests the Secretary General to inform the Turkish parliamentary authorities, the source and Mr. Sinçar’s family accordingly;

4. Requests the Committee to continue following the proceedings, including, if possible, through the services of a trial observer, and to report to it at its next session, to be held on the occasion of the 127th IPU Assembly (October 2012).

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