107 defendants receive record prison sentences in KCK main case

The 'KCK Main Case' held at Diyarbakır 2nd Heavy Penal Court for 8 years has been concluded with record jail sentences for 107 out of 154 defendants.

154 people have stood trial in the scope of the 'KCK Main Case' held at Diyarbakır 2nd Heavy Penal Court for 8 years. While 43 defendants were acquitted, 107 others received record sentences. Cases of the 4 defendants who have lost their lives during the course of the trial were dismissed.

Co-chairs, deputies, mayors, council members, human rights defenders, journalists and intellectuals are included in the 154 people who are prosecuted in the framework of so-called "KCK" cases launched by the government of Turkey in partnership with the Gülen Sect in 2009 while discussions continued for a democratic and peaceful solution to the Kurdish question.

The case at Diyarbakır 2nd Heavy Penal Court has finally been concluded Tuesday afternoon. More than a hundred lawyers attended the hearing where none of the defendants was present.

The court board started announcing the verdicts as soon as lawyers entered the hearing room. Sentences announced for some of the defendants so far as follows;

DBP Co-chair Kamuran Yüksek, former MP for Van Kemal Aktaş, Bayram Altun, Mehmet Taş, Serdar Kızılkaya, Hüseyin Yılmaz, Salih Akdoğan, Turan Genç, Çimen Işık, Zühre Bozacı, Mehmet Selim ve Bayram Altun, Herdem Kızılkaya, Lütfü Dağ, Ahmet Birsin have each received 21 year prison sentence for "administering a terrorist organisation".

The court sentenced;

Ercan Akyol to 18 years.

Suspended co-mayor of Amed Metropolitan Municipality, Fırat Anlı to 6 years and 3 months,

Former MP Demir Çelik to 6 years and 3 months,

DTK Co-chair Hatip Dicle to 9 years,

Mardin Metropolitan Municipality Co-mayor to 1 year and 3 months.

More details to follow.