DIYARBAKIR, — the KCK (Democratic Confederation of Kurdistan) trial resumed today in Diyarbakır after Friday hearing in which no results were achieved, ANF reported.
151 defendants, 104 of whom are detained, are tried before the Diyarbakır 6th High Criminal Court on the grounds of their alleged affiliation to the KCK, considered the urban arm of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
At the hearing on 14 January, the court did not decide on the request for the release of the detained defendants pending trial. The international and national observers (including many BDP members) had expected a “courageous decision” at last Friday hearing. But the trial was postponed to today.
The hearing was attended by 100 detained defendants, among them the Mayor of Sur (Diyarbakır), Abdullah Demirbaş, and four defendants who are not in detention.
The group of defendants includes executives of the Human Rights Association (İHD), lawyers, academics, members of non-governmental organizations and unions, executives of local TV stations, and newspaper workers. They are alleged of “disrupting the unity of the state and the territorial integrity”, “membership and administration of a terrorist organization” and “assisting and accommodating a terrorist organization”.
The indictment comprises a total of 7,578 pages and seeks prison terms between 15 years and aggravated life sentences for the defendants. A part of the 104 detained defendants have been imprisoned for 21 months