Journalists leave hearing room
Journalists leave hearing room
The hearing of the trial against Kurdish journalists arrested in the scope of so-called KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) operation on 20 December 2011 has started at Silivri Prison Complex on Monday.
Turkey-EU Joint Parliamentary Commission co-chair French Helene Flautre and Commission members as well as Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) deputies are also attending the trial in Istanbul.
The hearing of journalists has once again witnessed protests as journalists on trial left the hearing room when the court board denied journalist Kenan Kýrkaya permission to speak about the ongoing hunger strike by Kurdish political prisoners.
“Hundreds of prisoners are getting closer to death every passing day. Will you continue to refuse listening to us?”, said journalist Kýrkaya in response to the court board and pointed out that the people tried in KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) have been staging this protest for the right to defense in mother tongue, the cause of the deadlock in KCK trials.
All journalists on trial left the hearing room when the court board ordered Kýrkaya’s expulsion from the room.
44 Kurdish journalists (36 of them have been in detention since December 2011) are being accused and charged for the news they wrote which are considered evidence of their ties with the KCK organization.
The first hearing of the trial against journalists was held on 10 September 2012 and witnessed protests as lawyers left the court and journalists tied their mouths with black bands to condemn the court board’s denial to self-defense in the Kurdish language. Istanbul 15th High Criminal Court gave a ruling without trial as the defendants, lawyers and audience were denied permission to attend the three-day trial in Istanbul. The hearings scheduled from 10 to 14 September were cancelled on 12 September and adjourned to 12 November.
Turkey-EU Joint Parliamentary Commission co-chair French Helene Flautre and Commission members as well as Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) deputies are also attending the trial in Istanbul.
The hearing of journalists has once again witnessed protests as journalists on trial left the hearing room when the court board denied journalist Kenan Kýrkaya permission to speak about the ongoing hunger strike by Kurdish political prisoners.
“Hundreds of prisoners are getting closer to death every passing day. Will you continue to refuse listening to us?”, said journalist Kýrkaya in response to the court board and pointed out that the people tried in KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) have been staging this protest for the right to defense in mother tongue, the cause of the deadlock in KCK trials.
All journalists on trial left the hearing room when the court board ordered Kýrkaya’s expulsion from the room.
44 Kurdish journalists (36 of them have been in detention since December 2011) are being accused and charged for the news they wrote which are considered evidence of their ties with the KCK organization.
The first hearing of the trial against journalists was held on 10 September 2012 and witnessed protests as lawyers left the court and journalists tied their mouths with black bands to condemn the court board’s denial to self-defense in the Kurdish language. Istanbul 15th High Criminal Court gave a ruling without trial as the defendants, lawyers and audience were denied permission to attend the three-day trial in Istanbul. The hearings scheduled from 10 to 14 September were cancelled on 12 September and adjourned to 12 November.
