Court Demands Red Notice to Seek Pınar Selek

Istanbul 12th High Criminal Court demanded Justice Ministry authorities to issue a red notice, a procedure for international arrest warrant, for Pınar Selek - a sociologist who has been acquitted three times previously and recently convicted to life sentence for her involvement in 1998 Spice Bazaar Explosion.

Seyda Selek, one of Pınar Selek’s advocates, told bianet that the red notice demand had no applicability until interpol’s approval, saying that it was “an attempt for her client’s criminalization”.

She continued that red notice was a different procedure applied to those who can’t be found in the country with a domestic arrest warrant. 

How does the red notice process unfold? 

Advocate Akın Atalay told bianet how red notice process generally unfolded: 

"We have also heard about this demand through the media. This is how it unfolds. The court forwards its demand to Justice Ministry’s International Law and Foreign Affair’s Office. Then, the ministry sends it to Police Authorities where Turkish Interpol Chamber Administration submits the demand to Interpol General Secretary. This is where the demand is processed and a red notice is issued. In many previous cases, we have seen that red notice demands were declined."

Selek: "We applied to ECHR"

Advocate Selek told bianet that the red notice demand overpassed all other injustices along with the previous arrest warrant. 

“We have demanded a trial from Supreme Court of Appeal 9th Penal Chamber. We are currently preparing for that. We would like to have this verdict overthrown on the legitimacy of our position without being let down by all the criminalizing aspects.  

“No verdict is certain yet. Court of Appeal might still overthrow the verdict. On the other hand, we are struggling to have it overthrown by showing our legitimate position. We applied to ECHR, too." (BK/BM)

* Click here to read the original article in Turkish.