Bahar Kimyongür (born 28 April 1974 in Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Belgium), is a Belgian political writer of Turkish extraction.Eylem Aydemir, « Interview avec Bahar Kimyongur » , Librenews, 26 février 2010. He is perhaps most well known for his repeated arrests and releases on terrorism-related offences in the early twenty-first century.
Legal tribulations In 2006 he was convicted, as part of a group, by the tribunal of first instance for terrorist offences (specifically membership of the DHKP-C), and imprisoned. The conditions of their imprisonment in Bruges prison have been called a 'white torture' by Human rights groups. Although on release whilst appealing against his sentence,« Pratiques inhumaines et humiliantes », La Libre Belgique, 8. in November the same year the Ghent Court of Appeal upheld his conviction. Imprisoned in Ghent, Kimyongür appealed to the Supreme Court,"Bahar Kimyongür, prisonnier d’opinion" , par François Schreuer, Politique, revue de débats, Bruxelles, no. 47, décembre 2006. and again, to the Antwerp appellate court a year later.« Retour à la case départ pour "l'affaire Erdal" » sur le site internet de la RTBF, 13 Although delaying its verdict a number of times, the Antwerp court eventually announced the acquittal of all the accused on 7 February 2008.« DHKP-C - les sept prévenus acquittés pour terrorisme » sur le site internet de la RTBF, 7 A year later, the Brussels appeals' court also acquitted him of further charges relating to membership of a proscribed organisation.Marc Metdepenningen, DHKP-C : Bahar Kimyongur acquitté, Le Soir, 23 décembre 2009. However, it was not until early in 2010 that the Prosecution of Belgium announced it would not appeal Kimyongür's (and others) release.Belga, Le parquet n'ira pas en cassation contre l'arrêt DHKP-C, 7sur7, 7 janvier 2010 The television channel RTBF has claimed that his arrest in the Netherlands was at the instigation of the Belgian security services.« Bahar Kimyongur « donné » aux Pays-Bas » sur le site internet de la RTBF, 20 He was subsequently arrested in Córdoba, Spain on 18 June 2013, and released under caution;Jean-Claude Matgen, "Nouveaux ennuis judiciaires pour l’activiste Bahar Kimyongur", La Libre Belgique, 20 juin 2013 he was then arrested in Bergamo, Italy, on 21 November the same year. He was released in March 2014 by the Brescia court of appeal.Marc Metdepenningen, "DHKP-C: Bahar Kimyongur arrêté ce matin à Milan", Le Soir, 21 novembre 2013Michel Molitor, "DHKP-C: l'arrestation de Bahar Kimyongür en Italie, un acharnement?", RTBF, 22 novembre 2013
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