Charges: Portraying Turkish State as Evil

Istanbul 23rd High Criminal Court admitted prosecutor Adem Özcan’s 624 page long indictment - a case that charged advocates with being a “DHKP-C illegal organization” member or leader.  

The indictment included charges on 22 advocates with 9 arrested. 

On January 21, Contemporary Lawyers Association (ÇHD) members Selçuk Kozağaçlı, Taylan Tanay, Barkın Timtik,  Ebru Timtik, Şükriye Erden, Naciye Demir, Günay Dağ and Betül Vangölü Kozağaçlı were arrested for being a DHKP-C “illegal” organization member.

Other defendants pending a trial are as follows: Oya Aslan, Özgür Yılmaz, Güray Dağ, Gülvin Aydın, Efkan Bolaç, Serhan Arıkanoğlu, Zeki Rüzgar, Mümin Özgür Gider, Metin Narin, Sevgi Sönmez, Alper Tunga Saral, Rahim Yılmaz, Selda Yılmaz.

Kozağaçlı and Tanay have been charged with “being an illegal organization leader” according to Turkish Penal Code Article 314/1.

Advocate Ebru Timtik, on the other hand, has been charged with “attempting to remove constitutional order” according to Turkish Penal Code Article 309/1. 

Remaining advocates have been charged with “being an illegal organization member”. 

“He didn’t surrender on their own, we captured him”

The indictment charged the following prison sentences to defendants: Kozağaçlı (from 16 to 27.5 years), Tanay (up to 53.5), Barkın Timtik (from 14.5 to 51 years), Aslan’ın (from 13.5 up to 45 years), Betül Vangölü Kozağaçlı (from 9.5 up to 25 years), Ebru Timtik (life sentence in one charge and from 13.5 up to 76 years in another charge). 

Other defendants have been charged from 7.5 up to 15 years of prison. 

“Selçuk Kozağaçlı has been captured at Atatürk Airport on January 19,” the indictment cited. 

Kozağaçlı, on the other hand, claimed that he took the first flight from Syria as soon as he learned about police raid in his apartment and office.  

“So-called democratic”

The indictment also classified state-approved organizations like Halk Cephesi and Gençlik Federasyonu as “so-called demoncratic entities”. 

Other indictment evidences included a documentary by advocate Oya Aslan on prisoner Güler Zere. 

“The documentary portrayed a terrorism convict as victim and innocent in the eyes of public. It also provoked public for rebellion by portraying the Turkish state as an entity that tortures its own citizens, confines and annihilates its prisoners,” the indictment said. 

Advocating against urban renewal...

The indictment was based on Dutch and Belgium courts’ rogatory commission to Turkish courts on DHKP-C organization archives. 

Those achives included documents dated between 1997 and 2003. Anonymous, those documents include no signatures. 

On the first hearing, defendant advocates clearly pointed out that such anonymous documents could not be used as evidence as they were qualified.

Advocates also faced prison charges concerning their advocacy on urban renewal victims and their press statement on the issue. (AS/BM)