US: Two Turks jailed over DC brawl to be freed soon

By Safvan Allahverdi

WASHINGTON

Two Turkish men involved in a brawl last year with supporters of the PKK terror group while Turkey’s president was visiting the U.S. capital will be released from prison in 10 days, a court said Thursday.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, U.S. lawyer Gunay Evinch, who has followed the case from the beginning, said Sinan Narin, 46, of Virginia and Eyup Yildirim, 51, of New Jersey were sentenced to "a year and a day" with credit for time served after they were arrested on June 15.

Evinch said Narin and Yildirim will also receive two months credit for good behavior, so they will be released in 10 days.

Noting that the U.S. Attorney’s Office dropped five of the six charges against them, Evinch said the accusations would not be provable in court beyond a reasonable doubt.

During the sentencing, DC Superior Court Judge Marisa Demeo acknowledged that Narin was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder due to his background as a former member of the Turkish Special Forces who lost 20 of his comrades during a battle against the PKK terrorist group and lost control after he saw PKK flags on the day of the incident and was wounded in the face by a water bottle thrown at him.

Demeo also acknowledged that Narin and Yildirim are outstanding citizens with no criminal record and have strong family and community bonds.

Evinch noted that the judge also agreed that Yildirim has absolutely no hatred against Kurds as he and his family are of mixed Turkish and Kurdish heritage.

Yildirim emphasized that he also lost control when Kenan Dereci, his guest from Canada, was hit in the head with a bullhorn thrown by an anti-Erdogan demonstrator.

Judge Demeo stated that she had been dealing with this case for about a year and was "shocked” that D.C. and other law enforcement officials were so unsuccessful in controlling the brawl.

In addition, Demeo, who only let Narin and Yildirim's lawyers speak during the verdict, did not allow the YPG/PKK supporters who were present speak because it would politicize the matter.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist group by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU, having waged a terror campaign against Turkey for more than 30 years and killing nearly 40,000 people.

On the day of the incident, it was known that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan would arrive at the residence of Turkish Ambassador Serdar Kilic around 4 p.m. local time. PKK sympathizers gathered at a park next to the building half an hour earlier.

The supporters of the terrorist group, numbering around 20, were carrying posters of Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the PKK terrorist organization, as well as jailed Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) leader Selahattin Demirtas and flags of the YPG, the armed Syrian offshoot of the PKK/PYD.

While shouting anti-Erdogan slogans, the group began insulting Turkish-American citizens who were just across the road. They responded with their own slogans, which led to the brawl.

After the brawl, a PKK sympathizer along with Narin and Yildirim were arrested. PKK/PYD supporter Jalal Kheirabadi was released.

Kheirabadi was also banned from approaching the Turkish Embassy in Washington.

Following the incident, the Turkish Embassy released a statement.

"Groups affiliated with the PKK, which the U.S. and Turkey have designated as a terrorist organization, gathered yesterday without permit in Sheridan Circle in the immediate vicinity of the Ambassador’s Residence, while the President of Turkey was visiting the Residence.

"The demonstrators began aggressively provoking Turkish-American citizens who had peacefully assembled to greet the President. The Turkish-Americans responded in self-defense and one of them was seriously injured. The violence and injuries were the result of this unpermitted, provocative demonstration. We hope that, in the future, appropriate measures will be taken to ensure that similar provocative actions causing harm and violence do not occur."