DEM Party executive İlknur Birol's message before going to prison: ‘Let’s not get used to unlawfulness’

İlknur Birol, a member of the Central Executive Committee of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, has been sentenced to 1 year, 6 months, and 22 days in prison over her social media posts from 2015-2016. 

The posts were deemed to create a favorable perception of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and its leader, Abdullah Öcalan.

Sentencing pro-Kurdish figures over their statements from those years, when the country had a starkly different political environment due to an eventually canceled peace process between the government and the PKK, has become a common practice in recent years.

Birol’s posts that led to her conviction included those about the political climate of 2015-2016, the siege of Kobanî, and the assassination of Diyarbakır Bar Chair Tahir Elçi. 

The Court of Cassation upheld the sentence, and Birol is set to enter prison today after reporting to the Gebze Courthouse.

“None of my posts contained criminal content”

Before heading to the courthouse, Birol spoke to bianet about the charges, stating, “The posts that have been used against me were about the political situation at the time. None of them contained criminal content; they were expressions of free speech and criticism.” 

She added that the charges are a clear attempt to criminalize her role as a DEM Party member and a woman in democratic politics. 

“The real issue is that being part of the DEM Party, being a woman, and participating in democratic politics is seen as a crime in this country,” she emphasized. “We do not believe there is any actual crime here. There are tens of thousands of prisoners who are not guilty but are imprisoned for political reasons.”

“A rushed trial”

Birol criticized the legal process, citing procedural errors and a rushed trial. “There were procedural errors that should have resulted in the case being dismissed, but instead, a quick trial led to my conviction,” she explained. She also pointed out the discrepancy in her sentence, saying, “The execution appears to be 14 months, which indicates a wrongful calculation of the sentence.”

Birol called on the public to oppose the unjust legal actions, saying, “We are facing an unlawful practice, and this is not an isolated incident. The sense of injustice being created is eroding the fabric of our society. The judiciary is being used as a tool to oppress the opposition.” She urged the public to stand against the normalization of such legal actions and to unite in the fight against injustice.

“We must not become accustomed to arrests, trials, and sentences. We need to persist and gather the strength to overcome these injustices. In such oppressive regimes, collective struggle is essential for change. My message before entering prison is clear: do not let fear grow, and persist in the fight against injustices,” she concluded. (RT/VK)