Warrant Issued To Take Peker, Sued for Threatening Academics, Forcibly to Next Hearing

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Sedat Peker, who threatened the academics who signed the peace declaration "We will not be a party to this crime" did also not attend the third hearing of his trial. He is standing trial on charges of threatening people and inciting people to commit crimes.

A warrant has been issued to take Peker forcibly to court to testify after he submitted a three-day sick report to not appear at the hearing before İstanbul Anadolu 20th Criminal Court of First Instance.

The court ruled that Peker be brought before court after October 16, when his report is due.

"Report not drawn up duly"

Speaking at the hearing, one of the attorneys of the academics Meriç Eyüboğlu said that Peker went to Çağlayan Court yesterday (October 12) to give his deposition and noted that Peker's excuse to not attend the hearing was not valid.

"The report doesn't even mention the name of the institute which has prepared it", Eyüboğlu said.

New petition against Peker

The President of the Court, İmran Arık Özcan said that a person called Abdurrahman Ayyıldız submitted a petition to be added to the case file.

In the annex of the petition, a DVD has been submitted to the court that demonstrated Peker making a speech that incited people to hatred and hostility, and included threats that would disturb the peace in the society.

What happened?

Following the academics' peace declaration "We will not be a party to this crime", Sedat Peker had written an article entitled "For you, the so-called academics, the bell tolls" and said in a speech "We will make you bleed in streams".

After the Education Union and Libertarian Jurists Association (ÖHD) reported Peker and the academics filed a complaint, a lawsuit was brought against Peker.

Charges were pressed against Peker who faces up to 17 years in prison. He did not appear before court in the first two hearings of his trial putting forward various excuses. (TP/DG)