108 people are being tried in the Kobane case, of whom 28 are jailed pending trial. The court launched the lawsuit 6 years and 3 months after the 6-8 October events that protested ISIS invasion against Kobanê.

The first hearing of the case launched by Ankara 22nd Heavy Penal Court is held at the Sincan Prison Campus in Ankara. The court accuses 108 people of several charges including murder.

While journalists, MPs, lawyers and international delegations were admitted to the courtroom, visitors and relatives of the defendants were taken to a different courtroom.

Almost 100 defense lawyers were not allowed into the courtroom on the grounds that there was no space left.

Riot police have filled the areas reserved for lawyers. HDP lawyers demanded that all lawyers be allowed to be present in the courtroom, which the court rejected.

JAILED POLITICIANS

The politicians who are jailed pending trial in the case are as follows:

“Former HDP Co-Chairs Figen Yüksekdağ and Selahattin Demirtaş, DBP former Co-Chair Sebahat Tuncel, Diyarbakır former Co-Mayor Gültan Kışanak, HDP former deputy Aysel Tuğluk, DBP former Co-Chair Emine Ayna, Kars Co-Mayor Ayhan Bilgen who has been replaced by a trustee, former MPs Ayla Akat Ata, Beyza Üstün, İbrahim Binici, HDP former Party Spokesperson Günay Kubilay, HDP new term Central Executive Board (MYK) member Alp Altınörs, HDP Foreign Relations Commission member Nazmi Gür, HDP Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) member Ali Ürküt, HDP former treasurer Zeki Çelik, HDP former executive members Bülent Barmaksız, Can Memiş, Cihan Erdal, İsmail Şengül, Mesut Bağcık, Bircan Yorulmaz, Dilek Yağ, Pervin Odunce, Berfin Özgü Köse, Ayşe Yağcı, Zeynep Ölbeci, Nezir Çakan and Meryem Adıbelli.

FOREIGN DELEGATIONS

11 representatives of foreign delegations from different countries are monitoring the hearing:

Marta Rosique-Catalan Republican Left Party, Max Zanartu-Barcelona International Commission Secretary General, Eulàlia Reguant-Catalan Assembly Deputy, Oihana Etxebarrieta Legrand-Bask BILDU, Francois Alfonsi-EP Kurdish Friendship Group Coordination Member / Greens / EFA Deputy, Ana Miranda-European Parliament Member of the EFA Group, Jean-Christophe Sellin - Co-Coordinator and Regional Assembly Member of the Left Party of France, Eric Coquerel - Member of the National Assembly of the Rebellious France, Emilie Marche-Member of the National Assembly of the French Independent Party, Brando Benifei-Member of the European Parliament Socialists and Democrats Group , Evin Incir-Deputy of the Group of Democrats in the European Parliament.

Moreover, a huge number of representatives of political parties, democratic mass organizations and trade unions are also monitoring the hearing : Sezgin Tanrikulu, Ali Haydar Hakverdi, Semra Dincer from the Republican People's Party (CHP), Turkey Workers Party (TIP) chairperson Erkan Baş, Labor Party (EMEP) member Ercüment Akdeniz, KESK Co-Chair Mehmet Bozgeyik, Gülistan Atasoy (Women's Secretary), Yılmaz Yıldırım from TÜM BEL-SEN, Agricultural Union Orkam chairperson Ahmet Keleş, SES co-chairs Selma Atabey and Sıddık Akın, Gönül Adıbelli, DISK Regional Representative Tayfun Görgün, Ali Aktaş from ABF, Özgür Kaplan from PSAKDER, Reyhan Kumru and Mustafa Karabudak from DAD.