Journalists tied mouth with black band in protest
Journalists tied mouth with black band in protest
The third day of the trial against 44 Kurdish journalists (36 have been in detention since December 2011) has witnessed loud protests as lawyers left the hearing room and journalists tied their mouths with black band to condemn the court board’s denial to self-defense in the Kurdish language.
The court board adjourned the trial to 12 November and ordered the next hearings to be held at the Silivri Court in Istanbul. The detention of journalists will be evaluated after taking the prosecutor’s opinion on their situation. The court board also rejected the request by lawyer Ümit Sisligün to be part of the defense on the grounds of his being tried in the scope of the Kurdish Communities Union (KCK) case against lawyers.
The trial at the 32nd anniversary of the 12 September 1980 military coup continues with no progress as the hearings at Istanbul 15th high Criminal Court don’t advance because of the deadlock in respect to defendants’ demand to express themselves in their mother tongue.
On Wednesday, the court board has once again rejected defense lawyers’ demands for defendants’ self-expression and translation service in Kurdish and for the admittance of audience in the hearing room.
In response to the court board, lawyers left the hearing room saying that they will not be ‘puppets’ in front of the court which they said “tried people in the wave of the 12 September coup”.
Journalists on trial also protested against the court board, wearing black bands on their month as they turned their back on the board and broke into an applause. Gendarmerie officers took the journalists off the hearing room following a short-lasting quarrel because of their attempt to attack in their protest.
The court board adjourned the trial to 12 November and ordered the next hearings to be held at the Silivri Court in Istanbul. The detention of journalists will be evaluated after taking the prosecutor’s opinion on their situation. The court board also rejected the request by lawyer Ümit Sisligün to be part of the defense on the grounds of his being tried in the scope of the Kurdish Communities Union (KCK) case against lawyers.
The trial at the 32nd anniversary of the 12 September 1980 military coup continues with no progress as the hearings at Istanbul 15th high Criminal Court don’t advance because of the deadlock in respect to defendants’ demand to express themselves in their mother tongue.
On Wednesday, the court board has once again rejected defense lawyers’ demands for defendants’ self-expression and translation service in Kurdish and for the admittance of audience in the hearing room.
In response to the court board, lawyers left the hearing room saying that they will not be ‘puppets’ in front of the court which they said “tried people in the wave of the 12 September coup”.
Journalists on trial also protested against the court board, wearing black bands on their month as they turned their back on the board and broke into an applause. Gendarmerie officers took the journalists off the hearing room following a short-lasting quarrel because of their attempt to attack in their protest.
