Kurdish Politician Tuğluk Acquitted - Öcalan's Lawyers Sentenced
Aysel Tuğluk, subject to a political ban after the closure of pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP), was acquitted of charges of "spreading propaganda for a terror organization".
Tuğluk was tried together with İrfan Dündar and Fırat Aydınkaya, lawyers of imprisoned Abdullah Öcalan, leader of the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Both lawyers were handed down prison sentences of ten months each.
Suspended sentence for lawyers
The latest hearing held at the Istanbul 10th High Criminal Court was attended by Tuğluk's lawyer Özcan Kılıç. The politician's status as MP was lifted subsequent to the ban of DTP decided by the Constitutional Court in December 2009.
In the defence, Kılıç demanded the acquittal of his client, claiming that Tuğluk did not pursue a criminal intend and that elements of crime had not been constituted.
The court board assessed Tuğluk's announcement as related to the health of Öcalan and decided for her acquittal since her announcement did not constitute the crime of "spreading propaganda for a terror organization".
The same court board sentenced defendants Dündar and Aydınlık to ten months imprisonment each on the same charges of "spreading propaganda for a terror organization".
The court decided to suspend the sentence on probation of five years due to good conduct and a clean criminal record.
Öcalan's lawyers Dündar and Aydınkaya were sentenced on the grounds of an article entitled "A chance for Öcalan" published in Özgür Gündem newspaper on 29 and 30 April 2009.
The court mentioned that the article included statements made by Dündar and Aydınkakya such as "The lawyers conveyed Öcalan's opinion on the developments within KONGRA-GEL (PKK)", "He is experiencing the pain of change" and "Öcalan's opinions are important for an enduring peace". (BÇ/VK)
