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Halis Bayancuk (born 1984, Diyarbakır, Turkey), also known as Abu Hanzala,[1] is an imam of Zaza Kurdish descent who taken under custody for alleged connection to ISIS. He was later released from custody.[2]
Biography
editBayancuk was born in Diyarbakir to a Zaza family coming from Bingöl.[3] His father, Haci Bayancuk, also called "Hafiz", was a leader of the political wing of the Kurdish Hezbollah[4] and is currently serving a life sentence in prison.[5] Until 1998, Halis spent his youth in Diyarbakır.[3]
After his father's 2005 arrest, he spent 3 years in Egypt, where he was educated with the support of the diaspora Kurds in Germany who were tied to the Kurdish Hezbollah and returned to Turkey in 2008.[4] Halis was later arrested for alleged involvement in the 2008 Istanbul bombings before being released on 15 May 2009 due to lack of evidence.[citation needed]
He was again arrested in 2011 for connections to Al-Qaeda.[1] He was arrested along with fifty others who were suspected of planning a bombing.[citation needed] He was released on 24 January 2013 after prosecutors again failed to convict him due to lack of evidence.[4]
He was arrested for a third time in Van Province on 14 January 2014 and police believed they had enough evidence to convict him, but due to the 2013 corruption scandal in Turkey the police officers and prosecutors working on his case were fired and he was released on 9 November 2014.[4]
On 18 July 2015 he addressed a congregation of over one thousand Islamic State supporters.[4] On 24 July 2015, he was arrested by police and described as the leader of the Islamic State in Turkey and involvement in multiple bombings in Turkey.[6][7] He and other suspects were released pending trial on 24 March 2016.[8]
On 8 March 2017 he was arrested again and accused of threatening the governor of Ankara.[9] As of November 2017, he is in detention, accused of teaching at a pro-IS madrassa in Ankara.[10] The court in Sakarya sentenced him to 12 years and 6 months imprisonment on 28 June 2018.[11] However, in August 2019, a court in Istanbul reversed the verdict and sent the case back to Sakarya for a retrial.[11] In a controversial decision, the court in Sakarya ruled to release Bayancuk on 9 April 2020. Bayancuk was re-arrested the same day following an uproar by the Turkish society who compared his case with the one of other politicians and academics.[11]
In September 2020, Bayancuk was given a verdict of 12 years and 6 months imprisonment.[12] His lawyer defended him, arguing Bayancuk is merely following the political framework given through by the Quran and wouldn't follow ISIS doctrine, when he says that democracy is for infidels and wants the society to be ruled by the principles of the Quran.[12]
Halis can be found in various videos [13][14] rejecting any association with ISIS and condemning the terrorist organisations methods.
References
edit- ^ a b STEIN, AARON (2016). "Islamic State Networks in Turkey: Recruitment for the Caliphate". Atlantic Council.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "Ebu Hanzala tahliye edildi". www.rudaw.net. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Halis Bayancuk Kimdir ? - Halis Bayancuk Hayatı ve Biyografisi". www.haberler.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "Portrait of Turkey's ISIS Leader Halis Bayancuk: Alias Abu Hanzala". ICSVE. 13 October 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
- ^ "41 arrested in al-Qaida bust in Turkey". Trend.Az. 12 April 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
- ^ SCF (31 May 2017). "Halis Bayancuk, alleged head of ISIL in Turkey, detained in İstanbul". Stockholm Center for Freedom. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
- ^ "Turkey Bombs Islamic State in Syria, Vows to Carry on Fight". NDTV.com. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
- ^ "Seven ISIL suspects released by Istanbul court - Turkey News". Hürriyet Daily News. 24 March 2016. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
- ^ "Turkey's 'Islamic State Leader' Is Arrested Once Again". voanews.com. 8 March 2017. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
- ^ "ISIL operated 'madrasah' in Turkish capital: Indictment". hurriyetdailynews.com. 24 November 2017. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
- ^ a b c English, Duvar (4 October 2020). "Turkey's 'ISIS leader' is re-arrested upon appeal by prosecutors". www.duvarenglish.com. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
- ^ a b English, Duvar (19 September 2020). "Turkey's alleged ISIS leader given over 12 years in jail". www.duvarenglish.com. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
- ^ "- YouTube". YouTube.
- ^ "- YouTube". YouTube.