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Latest News About the Selendi Event 27/09/2010

Prosecutor of Selendi had started an investigation about the Selendi Event completed the criminal charge. 80 people get into the event were offered to be received imprisonment for various crimes between 3 and 150 years.

It was said that the event existed last winter derived from not lettting a young Gypsy man to drink tea in a coffeehouse by the owner in conjuction with the young Gypsy man's ethnic identity. However The coffee house owner and some neighbourhoods from Selendi claimed that responsibility of the event owned to the young Gypsy man who want to smoke even smoking is forbidden indoor with laws. There were a big tension after the event and Gypsy families had lived in Selendi for many years were obliged to leave Selendi. Firstly they were settled to Gördes County of Manisa.Than they were sent to to an other County of Manisa, Salihli. According to comments of Gypsy families were suffered from the event a group from Selendi was provocated against Gypsy families with untrue claims just like "Gypsies attacked to mosque, Gypsies cursed to the God, the Flag, the Goverment" by unknown provocateurs.

The criminal charge about the Selendi Event were completed by the prosecutor making investigation about the event. The prosecutor watched all videos about the event. There are 80 suspects, 74 cleiment and 3 people who are both suspect and cleiment. The suspects could be seen in the videos not only damaged furnitures and houses of Gypsies. They also used some sayings just like "Let's kill Gypsies" "Send them from here". Suspects were charged with damaging property, provocating people to hostility against others and holding an unpermitted demonstration. The suspects were asked to be received imprisonment between 3 and 150 years.

According the criminal charge prepared with police paperworks, videos taken at the event by police and videos taken by tv channels, the event existed in that way: A crowded group using sayings just like "They must go from here or we, as people, will do what it's needed. Selendi is ours and it will be ours. Gypsies must leave here. Let's attack, Let's exile Roma. Gypsies are cursing to our mosques, our religion, our wife, our daughters, we don't want them to live here. Let's kill them, let's burn their houses. Don't let these dishonest people to live here. They are Gypsies... They are stoling." came to the neighbourhood The Gypsy had been living and started to burn and rectify houses of the Gypsies at 2010 January 5 around 20.00.

The crowded groups damaged cars of the people living in Gypsy neighbourhood with stones and rods. People who didn't have life security during the event were taken to gendarmarie station under police escort. Leaving of the Gypsies didn't change anything. The group continue to attack houses, tents and cars. Police officers and the district governor of Selendi, Selim Palamut tried to stop the group.

Some people walking infront of the group said to security forces "never try to stop us, people are too angry" and damaged house of a citizen named E. Ç. Some people shouting as "They will go from here, or we will do what is needed. Let's fix their vagons." tried to provocate the group with the slogan "Hit Gypsies". It was also surprising that a person with a blank firing gun said to a police officer "Are you tring to make me afraid? Nonsense, your gun is empty" after the word "they must go from here, they are damaging Selendi" targeting to the Gypsies. An other suspect seen in the videos were saying to security forcess "Why are you saving them? Let people to hit Roma, to kill Roma. Gypsies will go from here."

Writing of the criminal charge of the Selendi Event by the prosecutor make people more trusting to the justice. Everybody is now waiting for the case result. Expectation of all citizens is justice to be done.

Source: Radikal