Pınar Selek Verdict Overturned, Eyes on Local Court

Turkey's Supreme Court of Appeals has overturned on procedural grounds the aggravated life imprisonment ruled for Pınar Selek.

Selek's sister, attorney Seyda Selek and attorney Tora Pekin have commented on the ruling to bianet.

Supreme Court of Appeals quashed the aggravated life imprisonment ruled for Pınar Selek. The case will be reheard at the local court.

Having been tried for 16 years in the court case related to the explosion at the Mısır Bazaar and has been acquitted three times, Pınar Selek had been sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment at the hearing held on January 24, 2013 and she had appealed the sentence.

Supreme Court of Appeals 9^th Penal Chamber where the appeal hearing was held, has reversed the aggravated life imprisonment on procedural grounds. This has been the 3^rd decision against Selek which was reversed by the Supreme Court of Appeals.

Seyda Selek: It was certainly to be reversed

Pınar Selek’s sister  attorney Seyda Selek said;

“It was certainly to be reversed because there was a null and void decision at stake. A final decision had been treated as an interim decision and was commuted to life imprisonment. We are relieved however there is no justice in the process per se. Supreme Court of Appeals's reversal of the decision is the right one after all however there was actually no need for all these proceedings. It is even tragic that the case has come to this point and that today we are pleased with this outcome. The hesitation that we had about the reversal of the decision is indicative of the current state that we have arrived in Turkey. Certainly she will be acquitted."

Reversed on procedural grounds 

Talking to Bianet, lawyer Tora Pekin said that Supreme Court of Appeals 9th Penal Chamber reversed the decision on procedural grounds, and added: “In the Supreme Court of Appeals hearing on April 30, we had objections regarding the procedures. Supreme Court of Appeals 9th Penal Chamber said that they accepted those objections of ours on procedures adding however that they did not look into the rest of our objections. That is normal; first procedural grounds are checked; if a problem is detected, the decision is reversed on procedural grounds and then they proceed to the merits of the case.”

“The Supreme Court of Appeals touched upon all our objections on procedures. By saying, ‘Acquittal decision taken on insistence is not an interim decision’, they said there would be no reversal from that decision. Furthermore, they also said that in the dossier, which went to the Plenary upon the objection of the Supreme Court of Appeals chief prosecutor, the court had the right to insist. They said that the justification given by saying, ‘There is no right to insist’ was wrong. We will see the details in the reasoned decision.”

"Courts with special authority have been abolished. Therefore the dossier will be referred to a new court and then a re-trial will come. The court would also take into account the previously taken decisions and cited in the dossier.” (ÇT/BM)

* Click here to read the article in Turkish.