Rişvanoğlu Case Proceeds, Writer Demirer Tried at Snail Pace

Lawyer and journalist Şiar Rişvanoğlu is facing prison sentence for his statements made on the Kurdish television channel Roj TV. The Adana Special Authority 6^th High Criminal Court decided to have the statements reviewed by an expert and to sort out the issue with an audio CD.

Rişvanoğlu, executive of the Gerçek newspaper and the Revolutionary Marxism magazine, is tried for referring to the group from Habur (refugees affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers Party PKK) as "Peace Group", describing the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) as "democratic forces carrying out the struggle for freedom of the Kurds" and for calling imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan the "leader of the Kurds". He appeared at court on Thursday (28 October).

More than 60 lawyers supported Rişvanoğlu

In the first hearing of the case on 16 September, Rişvanoğlu was supported by more than 60 lawyers, among them members of the Adana Bar Association Board of Directors in attention.

Rişvanoğlu's lawyers rejected the allegations put forward against their client in the indictment. They requested to create an audio file of the statements and have them evaluated by experts from the Istanbul Technical University (İTÜ) and the Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ). The prosecutor objected the demand whereas the court decided that the prosecution should send the file to the experts. The trial was postponed to 11 January 2011.

In a program on Roj TV on 3 May, Rişvanoğlu said, "A commission has to be required to confidentially investigate all political murders in Kurdistan, all conspiracies, the massacres of the Botaş death wells, mass murders and rapes". A case was opened against the lawyer in astronomical speed.

Rişvanoğlu is facing imprisonment of up to 13 years and six months as a three-count sentence under Article 220 (propaganda for an terrorist organization) of the Turkish Criminal Law (TCK).

Additionally, the Ministry of the Interior opened another case against the lawyer, claiming TL 10,000 (approx. € 5,000) in compensation by reason of "harming honour and dignity with the press release".

Rişvanoğlu is one of the founders of the Revolutionary Labour Party. The lawyer ran for office of the Adana Metropolitan Mayor in 2009 as a joint left-wing candidate. Before that, he was chairing the Adana Branch of the Contemporary Lawyers Association (ÇHD). Currently, he is one of the joint lawyers in the Hrant Dink murder case.

Demirer still on trial after three years

Writer Temel Demirer is being tired for three years now under the controversial Article 301 of the TCK ("insults" to the Turkish state) on the grounds of his statement that Turkish-Armenian journalist "Hrant Dink was not killed for being Armenian, but for recognising the genocide [of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire in 1915]."

Saying "I do not let anybody call my state a murderer", Demirer tries to annul the approval for his case which was issued by former Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Şahin at the Administrative Court.

The case was continued before the Ankara 2^nd Criminal Court of First Instance on 27 October. The court announced that it was still waiting for the decision of the Administrative Court. The case was adjourned to 30 December. (EÖ/VK)