KCK trial resumed today in Diyarbakir
KCK trial resumed today in Diyarbakir
The KCK (Democratic Confederation of Kurdistan) trial resumed today in Diyarbakýr after Friday hearing in which no results were achieved. 151 defendants, 104 of whom are detained, are tried before the Diyarbakýr 6th High Criminal Court on the grounds of their alleged affiliation to the KCK, considered the urban arm of the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
At the hearing on 14 January, the court did not decide on the request for the release of the detained defendants pending trial. The international and national observers (including many BDP members) had expected a "courageous decision" at last Friday hearing. But the trial was postponed to today.
The hearing was attended by 100 detained defendants, among them the Mayor of Sur (Diyarbakýr), Abdullah Demirbaþ, and four defendants who are not in detention.
The defence lawyers submitted a petition to lift the ban to leave the country that was imposed to Mayor Demirtaþ and the Diyarbakýr Metropolitan Mayor, Osman Baydemir.
Joint attorney for the defence, Sedat Yurttaþ, emphasized that it was not the lawyers who should be heard in this case. He criticized that the ones who should be heard were the defendants but that this was obstructed because of their request to present their defence in their mother tongue (Kurdish).
Yurttaþ said that the hearing turned into a tragic comedy. "The decision previously taken by the court obstructed the course of the prosecution. Even the courts established as a result of the fascist approach of 12 September [referring to the military coup in 1980] issued permission for a defence in Kurdish. In a few years you will look back and your will take it easy", he argued.
The group of defendants includes executives of the Human Rights Association (ÝHD), lawyers, academics, members of non-governmental organizations and unions, executives of local TV stations, and newspaper workers. They are alleged of "disrupting the unity of the state and the territorial integrity", "membership and administration of a terrorist organization" and "assisting and accommodating a terrorist organization".
The indictment comprises a total of 7,578 pages and seeks prison terms between 15 years and aggravated life sentences for the defendants. A part of the 104 detained defendants have been imprisoned for 21 months
At the hearing on 14 January, the court did not decide on the request for the release of the detained defendants pending trial. The international and national observers (including many BDP members) had expected a "courageous decision" at last Friday hearing. But the trial was postponed to today.
The hearing was attended by 100 detained defendants, among them the Mayor of Sur (Diyarbakýr), Abdullah Demirbaþ, and four defendants who are not in detention.
The defence lawyers submitted a petition to lift the ban to leave the country that was imposed to Mayor Demirtaþ and the Diyarbakýr Metropolitan Mayor, Osman Baydemir.
Joint attorney for the defence, Sedat Yurttaþ, emphasized that it was not the lawyers who should be heard in this case. He criticized that the ones who should be heard were the defendants but that this was obstructed because of their request to present their defence in their mother tongue (Kurdish).
Yurttaþ said that the hearing turned into a tragic comedy. "The decision previously taken by the court obstructed the course of the prosecution. Even the courts established as a result of the fascist approach of 12 September [referring to the military coup in 1980] issued permission for a defence in Kurdish. In a few years you will look back and your will take it easy", he argued.
The group of defendants includes executives of the Human Rights Association (ÝHD), lawyers, academics, members of non-governmental organizations and unions, executives of local TV stations, and newspaper workers. They are alleged of "disrupting the unity of the state and the territorial integrity", "membership and administration of a terrorist organization" and "assisting and accommodating a terrorist organization".
The indictment comprises a total of 7,578 pages and seeks prison terms between 15 years and aggravated life sentences for the defendants. A part of the 104 detained defendants have been imprisoned for 21 months
