Jailed politicians at Kobanê Case hearing call for a vote for Ankara co-mayor candidate Kışanak

Jailed politicians who made their defense at the hearing of the Kobanê Case called for a vote for DEM Party Ankara Metropolitan Municipality co-mayor candidate Gültan Kışanak.

KOBANE TRIAL

108 people, 24 of whom are in prison, including former co-chairs of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), Central Executive Board (MYK) members and executives, on the grounds of the actions carried out to protest ISIS's attacks on Kobanê on 6-8 October 2014. The detention review hearing of the case was held.

Prisoner politician Ali Ürküt was the first to make statements at the hearing held in the courtroom on the Sincan Campus of Ankara 22nd High Criminal Court. Ürküt said: “The trial has been going on for three years. It turned out that the witnesses were lying. It has been clearly demonstrated how empty the prosecution's allegations are. We have been deprived of our freedom for purely political reasons."

Another jailed politician, Alp Altınörs, said: “We are in the fourth year of our detention. A three-line tweet and four years of captivity.” The politician saluted DEM Party Ankara Metropolitan Municipality co-mayor Öztürk Türkdoğan, who attended the hearing and thanked “both candidates for offering an option to the people of Ankara. I call on all democrats and all people in Ankara to vote for Gültan Kışanak and Öztürk Türkdoğan. I myself will give them my vote."

Prisoner politician Ayla Akat Ata also touched upon the election campaign of DEM Party Ankara Metropolitan Municipality co-chair, prisoner Gültan Kışanak, and said that they focused on how they can support Kışanak's election campaign.

Jailed politician, Aynur Aşan, said: “Women's burden in society is more than twice as heavy. However, you are tripling our burden with these trials and time in prison. We are waging a fight against this violence."