Political coup before elections: 89 Kurdish politicians sentenced

Court confirmed sentences delivered in the KCK Main Case to 89 Kurdish politicians, some are candidates at 24 June elections.

The Gaziantep District Court of Justice confirmed the sentences delivered in the case known as the 'KCK Main Case', in which a large number of Kurdish politicians were tried.

Among the Kurdish politicians, are also HDP candidates to the forthcoming 24 June elections.

The Court assessed the objections of 139 defendants in the KCK Main Case in which 190 defendants stand trial and verdicts were issued for 154 of them by the Diyarbakır 2nd Heavy Penal Court.

Decisions

The Court found the prison sentence of 21 years given by the local court was appropriate. This sentence was delivered to the following politicians:

Kamuran Yüksek, Mehmet Taş, Erdem Kızılkaya, Hüseyin Yılmaz, Salih Akdoğan, Turan Genç, Senanik Öner, Kemal Aktaş, Çimen Işık, Zöhre Bozacı, Mehmet Nimet Sevim, Lütfi Dağ, Bayram Altun, Ahmet Birsin and Mehmet Akın.

The Court confirmed 18 years prison sentence for the following people:

Ercan Sezgin, Şinasi Tur, Ahmet Makas, Mazlum Tekdağ, Mükail Karakuş, Ümit Aydın, Seda Akbaş Can, Ali Şimşek, Necdet Atalay, Abdullah Demirbaş, Olcay Kanlıbaş, Tuncay Korkmaz, Tayip Temel and Ercan Akyol.

The Court also approved the 9-year prison sentence delivered to the following people:

Hasan Hüseyin Ebem, Abbas Çelik, Zülküf Karatekin, Nadir Bingöl, Ahmet Erdem, Cibrahil Kurt, Yurdusev Özsökmenler, Mehmet Hatip Dicle, Nihayet Taşdemir, Pınar Işık, Elif Kaya, Yüksel Baran, Pelgüzar Kaygısız, Pero Dündar, Sara Aktaş, Zahide Besi, Musa Farisoğulları, Adil Erkek, Mahmut Okkan and Burhan Karakoç.

The Court rejected the appeal to reduce the same above prison sentence to 6 years and 3 months for the following people:

Demir Çelik, Mehmet Tarih, Hasan Fırat Üner, Hasan İraz, Celal Yoldaş, Ahmet Ertak, Fırat Anlı, Selim Sadak, Hüseyin Kalkan, Songül Erol Abdil, Etem Şahin, Emrullah Cin, Fikret Kaya, Aydın Budak, Leyla Güven, Gülcan Şimşek, Nuran Atlı Söyler, Abdullah Akengin, Şeyhmus Bayhan, Ahmet Zirek, Engin Kotay, Kerem Duruk, Esma Güler, Özlem Yasak, Rojda Balkaş Akyüz, Mesut Çetin, Ramazan Ödemiş, Ramazan Deve, Muharrem Erbey, Tuncay Ok, Ahmet İlhan and Mustafa Doğru.

The Court confirmed the acquittal decision for the following people:

Ebru Günay, Siracettin Irmak, Servet Özen, Bahri Çeken, Hasan İnatçı, Rahmi Özmen, Ahmet Cengiz, Hüseyin Bayrak, Hacı Erdemir, Heval Erdemli, İhsan Uğur, Sebahattin Dinç, Selahattin Elçi, Kazım Kurt, Garip Kandemir, Zora Erdede, Zeynep Boğa, Takibe Turgay, Alaattin Aktaş, Fethi Suvari, Mehmet Deviren, Nizamettin Onar, Zeynel Mat, Atilla Koca, Mehmet Nesip Gültekin, Aygül Arat, Resul Erkaplan, Abdulserdest Tan, Serdar Zirik, Abdullah Aflatun, Abdurrahim Barandağ, Abdullahhalık Katar, Abdulgafur Şen, Ekrem Elbat, Gülistan Dehşet and Ahmet Türk.

The 6 years and 3 months prison sentence delivered to Ferhan Türk was scrapped due to lack of sufficient evidence.

The Court also accepted the sentences delivered to Zübeyde Zümrüt (5 years), Mehmet Güzel and Mehmet Aksunger (4 years, 8 months, 7 days).

In addition the Court accepted the verdicts on Abdurrahim Tanrıverdi, Mustafa and Osman Ocaklık, Nazim Caglak and Turki Gültekin sentenced to 6 years and 9 months, and Murat Tuğrul sentenced to 5 years, 7 months and 15 days.

The Court approved the decision to acquit Veysel Yildirim and Adnan Bayram.

The Court ruled for the re-evaluation of verdicts for Ahmet Cengiz and Mehmet Hatip Dicle who were sentenced to 1 year and 2 months imprisonment and 600 Turkish Lira in fines.

It has to be noted that Pero Dündar, Leyla Güven, Ebru Günay and Musa Farisoğulları have been nominated HDP candidates at the forthcoming 24 June elections.