DİAYDER president released in 'PKK clerics' case

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Ekrem Baran, the president of the Religious Scholars Solidarity Association (DİAYDER), who was the only suspect still remanded in custody in the case against him and 22 other members of the association, was released in the 8th hearing of the case today.

Civilian Friday prayers and supermarket cards distributed as social aid by the İstanbul metropolitan municipality (İBB) were subject to legal proceedings in this case against the association.

Sezgin Tanrıkulu, Republican People's Party MP, and Canan Kaftancıoğlu, the chairperson of the party in İstanbul were also present in yesterday's hearing.

Baran told the court that he was repeating his former statements and said, "We believe that this is a political case. Therefore our conscience is clear. The Kurdish clerics and madrassas are being pointed the finger at in this case." Baran requested his release stating that his chronic illnesses got worse in prison conditions.

Lawyers request case be merged with İBB case

Baran's lawyer Fırat Epözdemir reminded the court that they requested in the previous hearing that this case should be merged with the case on İBB employees. Epözdemir underlined that they were being asked questions about İBB all along the case. Repeating his request for merging the cases, he said, "You need to merge the files if you want to reach the facts in an objective manner."

Epözdemir said that 358 families given supermarket cards also received social aids during the Justice and Development Party (AKP) period in İBB, and that among the remaining 272 people who were categorized as criminals under the concept of "value families" 26 people were standing trial and that most were being charged with ordinary crimes.

The lawyer also stated that the allegation that money was transferred to DİAYDER over dead body bathers employed by İBB had collapsed. He said, "We know that only one person has sent money to the association. Has anyone else sent any money? No."

The court ruled for the release of Baran but rejected the other requests of the lawyers. The case will continue in the next hearing with no suspects remanded in custody.

"Attitude against Kurdish language"

Hüseyin Boğatekin, another lawyer of the association, told bianet after the hearing that there was an attitude against the Kurdish language.

"Kurdish concepts were shown as concepts of an illegal organization," Boğatekin said. He added that the Kurdish name of a village in Eruh was questioned by the court and that they requested that a letter should be written to the Association of Eruh asking what the name of this village was in Kurdish. (AÖ/PE)