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* Photograph: AA
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The Supreme Court of Appeals announced its verdict in the Kurdish Communities Union (KCK) main case today (September 24).
After the court of appeal upheld the verdict of the local court on 154 people, the verdict in question was taken to the Supreme Court of Appeals.
Accordingly, the Supreme Court has upheld the 9-year prison sentences given to Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) MPs Pero Dündar and Musa Farisoğulları, the 6-year prison sentence given to HDP Hakkari MP Leyla Güven and the prison sentence of 1 year, 3 months given to Ahmet Türk, the recently dismissed Metropolitan Mayor of Mardin.
While the verdicts of 118 people have been upheld by the Supreme Court, it has reversed 36 verdicts, including that of HDP MP Tayip Temel.
The verdicts of 118 people upheld
The 4th Penal Chamber of Gaziantep Regional Court of Justice, the court of appeal, previously upheld 89 of 111 prison sentences given by the Diyarbakır 2nd Heavy Penal Court, the local court.
The Supreme Court of Appeals has announced its judgement as to the objection lodged against the ruling of the court of appeal.
Verdicts of reversal
Accordingly, the Supreme Court of Appeals has reversed the 21-year prison sentences given to the following people on charge of "leadership of a terrorist organization": Ahmet Birsin, Mehmet Taş, Çimen Işık, Zöhre Bozacı, Turan Genç, Herdem Kızılkaya, Mehmet Akın, Mehmet Nimet Sevim, Lütfi Dağ, Kemal Aktaş; aynı suçlamayla 18'er yıl hapis cezası alan Necdet Atalay, Mazlum Tekdağ, Mikail Karakuş, Olcay Kanlıbaş, Ali Şimşek, Ümit Aydın, Ahmet Makas, Şinasi Tur, Abdullah Demirbaş, Tuncay Korkmaz, Ercan Sezgin and HDP Van MP Tayip Temel.
The prison sentences of 6 years, 9 months given to Veysi Akar and Türki Gültekin for "membership of a terrorist organization" and prison sentences of 6 years, 3 months given to Ahmet Ertak, Mesut Çetin and Önal İsmail Öner on the same charge have also been reversed.
The verdicts of acquittal given for Heval Erdemli, Zeynel Mat, Sabahattin Dinç, Abdullah Bozkoyun, Mehmet Salih Yıldız, Alaattin Aktaş, Fethi Suvari and Ali Oruç have also been reversed against the defendants.
Verdicts upheld by the Supreme Court
The reversal of Ferhan Türk's prison sentence of 6 years, 3 months for "membership of an organization" due to lack of evidence by the court of appeal has been approved by the Supreme Court of Appeals.
The Supreme Court of Appeals has also upheld the 21-year prison sentences given to Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) Chair of the time Kamuran Yüksek, Ramazan Morkoç, Hüseyin Yılmaz, Salih Akdoğan, Senanik Öner and Bayram Altun and the 18-year prison sentence given to Seda Akbaş Can on charge of "leading an organization".
Prison sentence of Hatip Dicle upheld as well
The Supreme Court has also upheld the 9-year prison sentences of 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, Burhan Karakoç for "being members of an organization".
The prison sentences of 6 year, 3 months given to Demir Çelik, Mehmet Tari, Hasan Fırat Üner, Hasan İraz, Celal Yoldaş, Fırat Anlı, Selim Sadak, Hüseyin Kalkan, Songül Erol Abdil, Ethem 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, Ramazan Ödemiş, Ramazan Debe, Muharrem Erbey, Tuncay Ok, Ahmet İlan and Mustafa Doğru on the same charge have also been upheld by the Supreme Court.
Prison sentences of Ahmet Türk also upheld
The following prison sentences have also been upheld: Prison sentences of 7 years, 9 months of Mustafa Ocaklık, Abdurrahim Tanrıverdi, Osman Ocaklık, Nazim Çağlak; prison sentence of 5 years, 2 months of Zübeyde Zümrüt; 5-year prison sentence of Serdar Ziriğ; prison sentence of 5 years, 7 months, 15 days of Murat Tuğrul; prison sentences of 4 years, 8 months, 7 days of Mehmet Güzel and Mehmet Aksünger; prison sentence of 1 year, 3 months of dismissed Mayor of Mardin Ahmet Türk.
Upheld verdicts of acquittal
The verdicts of acquittal given for the following people have also been upheld: Ebru Günay, Kutbettin Kurt, Hüseyin Bayrak, Haci Erdemir, İhsan Uğur, Selahattin Elçi, Bahri Çeken, Yaşar Çelik, Hasat İnatçi, Rahmi Özmen, Siracettin Irmak, Servet Özen, Kazım Kurt, Galip Kandemir, Yaşar Sarı, Arslan Özdemir, Roza Erdede, Zeynep Boğa, Hacire Özdemir, Bedriye Aydın, Takibe Turgay, Nizamettin Onar, Beyhan Sakin, Veysel Yıldırım, Hanifi Yönten, Adnan Bayram, İhsan Sevitek, Seyithan Şen, Mehmet Deviren, Mehmet Nesih Çağlar, Seyithan Haran, Mahmut Polat, Hüsamettin Çiçek, Mehmet Nesip Gültekin, Aygül Arat, Resul Erkaplan, Abdulserdest Tan, Abdullah Aflatun, Abdurrahim Dağ, Abdulhalık Katar, Abdulgaffur Şen, Ekrem Elbat, Gülistan Dehşet, Semih Sencer, Ali Genç, Necla Kormaz, Ahmet Cengiz, Atilla Koca and Mesut Aydın.
About KCK Main TrialIn operations launched under the name of Kurdish Communities Union (KCK) in 2009, tens of thousands of people were taken into custody throughout Turkey, especially in İstanbul and Turkey's southeastern province of Diyarbakır. Lawsuits were also filed in several provinces after these operations. The lawsuit in Diyarbakır, known as the "KCK main trial", started after the 7,578-page indictment prepared by the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office was accepted. The indictment charged 175 defendant with "destroying the unity and integrity of the state", "being members and leaders of a terrorist organization" and "aiding and abetting a terrorist organization". The suspects faced 15 years in prison to aggravated life imprisonment and the trial continued for eight years. In the lawsuit filed in 2009, 154 people stood trial, among whom were the then Co-Chairs of Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), its MPs, co-mayors, municipal council members, politicians, human rights defenders, journalists and intellectuals. Announcing its verdict on March 28, 2017, the Diyarbakır 2nd Heavy Penal Court sentenced 16 people to 21 years in prison each and sentenced 95 people 1 year, 2 months to 18 months in prison. 43 defendants were acquitted in the case. As their files were separated from the other because they had legislative immunity when the lawsuit was filed, the trial of Nadir Yıldırım, Alican Önlü, Dirayet Taşdemir, Besime Konca, Selma Irmak, Ahmet Yıldırım, Osman Baydemir and Çağlar Demirel still continues at the Diyarbakır 2nd Heavy Penal Court. |
(TP/SD)
