MESOPOTAMIA NEWS : PKK CONFESSIONS BY FORCE – PKK claims responsibility for killing of grocer / AMNESTY CASE

By Rudaw 6 hours ago  – 1 July 2018 – ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The PKK’s armed wing has claimed responsibility for the killing of a grocer whose death has sparked concerns of wider violence. “Our forces arrested an individual named Mevlut Bengi,” the PKK’s HPG said in a statement on Saturday.

The force alleges Bengi, a father of 11, had informed Turkish authorities about the whereabouts of two HPG members a year earlier. Turkish forces acted on the tip and the two guerrillas were killed. They also accused Bengi of playing a role in many arrests of PKK members. The PKK said Bengi “confessed” and their forces “punished” him.
His body was found tied to an electricity pole. He had been shot in the head.
The ruling AKP has accused the pro-Kurdish HDP of being involved in Bengi’s death because he had registered to represent AKP at a voting centre in the June 24 election.

Individual lawmakers have condemned the murder.  “I defend the right to life of everyone, no matter who it is,” tweeted HDP MP Ahmet Sik.
Saying that condemnation is not enough, Sik said that the peace Turkey is looking for will not come with such bloodshed. Sezgin Tanrikulu, a member of the opposition CHP, described Bengi’s killers as “shameless,” adding that there is no justification for such an act.

Amnesty International has urged a thorough investigation of the murder, warning against assigning blame that may incite violence against HDP.