“I Couldn’t Defense in Turkish When Kurdish Was Banned”

Istanbul 15th High Criminal Court held the KCK media case this morning. 46 media representatives (with 20 of them jailed) stood trial on the 7th hearing in Silivri courthouse. 

While journalist Evrim Kepenek made her defense, the hearing was postponed to Wednesday due to official holiday. 

In her defense, former Dicle News Agency (DIHA) reporter Kepenek told the court why she made a Kurdish identification even though she had a Hemshin background and she was able to speak only Turkish.

“I don’t speak Hemshin, my maternal language. I would wish that I could make my defense in my mother tongue as it is a basic human right.

“My parents don’t speak Hemshin either. Because this system has assimilated me and the Hemshin community that I am a part of. It turcofied them. 

“I don’t want to see this happen with Kurdish people.

“I didn’t find it ethical and conscious to speak Turkish when my friends were not allowed to make their defenses in Kurdish in the first hearing.”

“Let readers decide on journalism, not prosecutors” 

In her defense, Kepenek said she didn’t have any activities except journalism. “They are trying to declare my journalism activities as illegal, she said. 

“Even the prosecutor declares us as guilty, our readers witness our journalism work. Let readers decide on journalism, not prosecutors.”  

Kepenek requested the opinion of media experts as well as the acquittal of jailed and non-jailed media representatives. (EA/BM)

* Click here to read the original article in Turkish.