While the arguments about the pardon law continue, a case of pardon 'insolence' has come up. Despite being pardoned once, the prisoner called Zulfu Celikbag - who raped a little boy for the second time - applied to the TBMM Petitions Commission and asked 'to be included in the pardon.'
Encouraged by the release of thousands of prisoners by the pardon law, Zulfu Celikbag - in the petition which he wrote to the TBMM Petitions Commission - said "I've been wronged. Include me in the pardon."
In 1988, Zulfu Celikbag kidnapped and raped a little boy. For this crime, Celikbag was sentenced to 30 years, 6 months and 20 days in Ceyhan Criminal Court. After serving 5 years of his sentence for this crime, he was 'conditionally' pardoned in law 3713 which came out in 1993, and he left prison.
However, in 1996 for the 2nd time he kidnapped and raped another 15-year-old boy. Once again tried in Ceyhan Criminal Court, Celikbag - having been freed only conditionally - was sentenced to complete the sentence for his first rape, as well as another 10 years for the 2nd.
With pardon law 4616, which came into force on 22 December 2000, he was pardoned the 4-year, 2-month sentence which he was given for the crime of 'kidnapping a little child.' However, because crimes of rape were not covered by the pardon, he wasn't pardoned the sentence that he received for that crime. Celikbag, applying to Ceyhan Criminal Court, demanded that he be pardoned for the crime of rape too. This demand was rejected by the court. Undaunted by the court's rejection, the 'registered rapist' wrote a petition from Ceyhan Prison where he is serving his sentence to the TBMM Petitions Commission and requested a pardon. Celikbag, claiming that he had been 'wronged', demanded that his situation be examined by Parliament and that he should not be allowed to stay in prison longer than necessary.
The TBMM Petitions Commission, when they learned Celikbag's situation at the end of their research, sent him a reply like a slap in the face: "No action will be taken by our commission concerning your petition."
Saban DEVINC / ANKARA