Hatip Dicle from the Labour, Peace and Democracy Block is facing prison sentences of up to ten years in total by reasons of a book he wrote in 2008 and a speech he made in 2009. Dicle was elected as deputy for Diyarbakır in the general election on 12 June this year but the Supreme Election Board (YSK) decided to deprive him from his right to deputyship shortly after.
In this trial, Dicle is being tried on the grounds of what he wrote in the book "Judged by Defendants" in 2008 and a speech he delivered at a meeting of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Congress (DTK) in 2009. His caseis handled by the Diyarbakır 6th High Criminal Court.
Detained defendant Dicle attended the Thursday (6 October) hearing together with his lawyer. The prosecutor stated in his final speech that Dicle made propaganda for the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) by calling PKK members 'guerrillas' in his book that was published by Aram Publishing. The prosecutor demanded imprisonment of five years for this allegation.
Moreover, the prosecutor claimed that Dicle committed the same offence in his speech as elected Co-chair of the DTK. Hence, he recommended a sentence of another five years imprisonment. Consequently, Dicle is facing prison terms of up to ten years in total. The trial was postponed to allow the defendant's lawyers additional time to prepare the defence.
Hatip Dicle has been imprisoned since 2009 in the scope of another trial regarding the KCK/TM (Turkish Assembly). (YY/VK)
