The four cases documented in this paper draw attention to the fact that most political prisoners in Turkey who were tried and convicted by military courts, including those sentenced to death, did not receive a fair trial. The four on death row are: Ahmet Mansiz, a known left winger, convicted of “membership of an organization aiming to destroy the constitutional order by force; Mehmet Sumbul, alleged leader of the right-wing Idealist Workers’ Association in Bursa; Huseyin Aktas and Erdem Kecer, alleged to be members of the illegal organization Kurtulus. AI’s concerns regarding military court are presented as follows: they are not independent; allegations of torture of defendants are not investigated. prisoners’ rights to defence have been restricted and their lawyers harassed.
