No Release For 8 Socialists Jailed For 8 Years

“This double standard must come to an end,” said attorneys of 8 jailed socialists within “Marxist Communist Party” (MLKP) case including journalists Füsun Erdoğan and Arif Çelebi who have been jailed over 5 years. 

Istanbul 4^th High Criminal Court recently denied the release requests within MLKP case for 8 socialists including journalist Füsun Erdoğan and Atılım newspaper writers Arif Çelebi and Bayram Namaz. 

While Press Council (Basın Konseyi) Chairwoman Pınar Türenç urged authorities to release Füsun Erdoğan without a single day delay, Ezilenlerin Hukuk Bürosu (Law Office of the Oppressed) released a statement urging “an end to the double standard” as the aforementioned defendants (Atılım newspaper writers Çelebi and Namaz, Özgür Radyo former Editor-in-Chief and journalist Erdoğan and Naci Güner, Seyfi Polat, Turaç Solak, Mehmet Ali Polat, Erkan Özdemir) has been jailed for 7 years 6 months and 9 days. 

“Double standards in justice” 

The statement read as follows: 

“Various high criminal courts (1st, 4th, 8th, 20th, 21^st) in Istanbul ordered the release of Ergenekon case defendants, saying that their arrest terms have exceeded 5 years and the Supreme Court of Appeals have yet to proceed the cases. On the other hand, these criteria don’t apply to the jailed socialists and they are being imposed a 10-year arrest term bar.” 

Kaya: Şahin released, our request denied 

Gülhan Kaya, one of the defense attorney, reminded bianet that Ergenokon case convicts İbrahim Şahin and Veli Küçük have been released as special duty courts have been removed in Turkey. 

“The court has already released its explained verdict on the case of Şahin. For Küçük, the verdict was issued but not published. 

“Our clients’ cases have nothing different than these cases. Similarly, the court has issued a verdict in this case and published it. However, we appealed the case and the Supreme Court of Appeal is yet to proceed the case as it hasn’t been declared to us officially. It is the case court (Istanbul 4^th High Criminal Court) that released Küçük and Şahin but denied our request.” 

Türenç: Füsun Erdoğan must be released today 

On the other hand, Press Council Pınar Türenç urged authorities to release Füsun Erdoğan without a single day delay. “Otherwise,” she continued, “it is a human right of violation.” 

She continued as follows: 

“We are deeply concerned about Füsun Erdoğan. She has been held as captive for 8 years for no legitimate reason. We were hoping for her release as others have been released within similar cases. However, the justice has yet to be made. Füsun Erdoğan must be released today, not tomorrow.”

Istanbul 5^th High Criminal Court is currently proceeding the release request for socialist defendants within the MLKP case.(EA/BM)