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| Caucasus |
| Hotel raid ringleader jailed for 12 years |
| 2002-12-31 |
| The leader of a group of pro-Chechen gunmen who seized a luxury hotel in Istanbul last year has been jailed for nearly 12 years. Muhammed Emin Tokcan led the hostage-takers who seized 120 tourists and staff in the five-star Swissotel in April. That would be April, 2001... 12 years in a Turkish prison should cool his revolutionary ardor, if anything does. Twelve other members of the armed gang were freed by the court, despite being sentenced to at least three years' jail. The judges ordered their release because of the time they had spent in jail awaiting trial. "They've suffered enough..." Tokcan, a Turkish citizen of Chechen origin, is believed to have organised the hostage-taking to protest against Russia's military action in Chechnya. He had previously hijacked a Turkish ferry on the Black Sea in 1996, and escaped from prison while serving an eight-year sentence for the offence. The Chechen thugs have a deep and abiding love of holding large numbers of civilians hostage, don't they? But they're not terrorists, they're "freedumb fighters." Just ask Vanessa... |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |