Behind bars for attacking TİP MP Barış Atay, 3 defendants released

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Arrested pending trial for attacking Workers' Party of Turkey (TİP) Vice Chair and Hatay MP Barış Atay in İstanbul in August, three defendants were released on probation at their first hearing today (November 25).

The hearing was held at the İstanbul 46th Penal Court of First Instance. While the arrested defendants attended the hearing via the Audio and Visual Information System (SEGBİS), Barış Atay and the attorneys of both parties were present in the courtroom.

Giving his statement at the hearing, Atay said that he met his friend at a cafe in Moda, Kadıköy on the day of the incident and after he left the cafe after midnight, a person clasped him by the throat, sweared at him and punched him while he was walking on the road.

Atay: I think they know my political identity

Sharing further details about the moment of attack, Atay said that after the other two defendants hit him, he fell on the ground. Indicating that the defendants kept punching and kicking him in this position, he added:

"Someone there said, 'I will call the police.' The assaulters started to run upon hearing this. The incident was in no way a road rage. The street was a broad one. Without talking to each other, Ömür Canpolat started to punch me. I do not know the ones who attacked me. I do not know whether the defendants know me or not. But I think that they know my political identity while insulting me. I press charges against the defendants."

Defendant Ömür Canpolat said that there was no street in Kadıköy where one could walk freely, arguing that they met Atay by coincidence.

Taking the floor after the defendant, Atay's attorney Şerif Özgür Urfa indicated that the defendants had been making misstatements since the beginning and demanded the continuation of their arrest.

Alper Kahraman, the attorney of the defendants, stated that they did not accept the allegation that the crime had been committed as part of an organization and demanded the release of his clients.

They are released on probation

Handing down its interim judgement, the court has ruled that defendants Ömür Canpolat, Çağlar Baştan and Çağrı Hasan Çalışkan shall be released on probation considering the time they have already served behind bars as well as the fact that evidence has been collected to a large extent and the decision of non-prosecution given in the investigation into the possibility of an organized crime has been finalized.

Imposing an international travel ban on the defendants, the court has adjourned the hearing so that the deficiencies in the file can be rectified.

Indictment demands prison sentence

Lodged by the İstanbul Anadolu Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, the indictment demands that defendant Ömür Canpolat be sentenced to 1 year, 8 months to 3 years, 10 months in prison for "wounding a public official" and "insulting a public official" and that other defendants Çağlar Baştan and Çağrı Hasan Çalışkan be each sentenced to 6 months to 1 year, 6 months in prison on charge of "wounding a public official."

What happened?

After Specialist Sergeant Musa O. was released from prison despite facing charges for "sexually assaulting" 18-year-old İpek E. and driving her to suicide in Batman province, TİP Hatay MP Barış Atay shared a social media post about the alleged phone messages of Musa O.

Tagging Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu, Atay said, "You protected and backed a serial rapist. We will make efforts to ensure that it will be held against you for the rest of your life and you will not ever forget it."

In response to this message, Minister Soylu tweeted:

"The left-over of the PKK and DHKP-C [Kurdistan Workers' Party and Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front], who became an MP from the HDP [Peoples' Democratic Party] upon the instruction of the PKK heads. I cannot be a 'rapist protector,' but you would make quite a rapist... The protector of Tuma [Çelik]; watch out, don't get caught..."

CLICK - Sexual assault by specialist sergeant: Interior Minister says he trusts the judiciary

Shortly after Minister Soylu shared this post, Barış Atay, the Vice Chair and Hatay MP of the Workers' Party of Turkey (TİP), was attacked by a group of five people in Kadıköy, İstanbul on August 31. While Barış Atay and his friends were leaving a restaurant in Kadıköy at around 1.30 a.m., the group attacked him, calling the MP a "traitor."

Taken to the Haydarpaşa Numune Hospital, the MP was treated for a suspected broken rib and trauma.

Three people were arrested over this attack on September 2. They were charged with "deliberate injury."

CLICK - 'Turkey now lives in a rape society, it is what we try to raise concerns about'

(HA/SD)