October 10 Ankara Massacre trial lawyers call for attendance at hearing on Friday

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The Commission of Lawyers for the October 10 Ankara Massacre Trial issued a written statement today, calling for attendance at the trial scheduled for September 8 at 10:00 am at the Ankara 4th Heavy Penal Court.

In their statement, the commission noted that the composition of the court panel has once again been changed, and these changes have caused problems in the course of the trial:

"At this stage, reading and understanding the case file, which consists of more than 250 folders and digital documents, takes years for each new panel of judges. Therefore, the constant changes in the panel of judges are causing delays in the case file and thus obstructing the clarification of the massacre."

The Ankara Train Station Massacre occurred on October 10, 2015, around 10:04 am, with a suicide bombing at the crossroads outside the train station in Ankara, resulting in the deaths of 109 people, making it the deadliest suicide bombing in the history of Turkey. The attack targeted the area where a crowd had gathered for the Labor, Peace, and Democracy Rally scheduled to take place in Ankara that day. 

"Insistence to hide the real perpetrators"

The lawyer's commission said in today's statement that the obstacle to the clarification of the massacre is not only the panels of judges who are not familiar with the case:

"We are facing a judiciary that has lost its independence and impartiality, does not exercise its own will on decisions, and is eager to close the case as soon as possible. The justice struggle that has been going on for 8 years related to the October 10 massacre, despite revealing the truth in many aspects, is still faced with the insistence to hide the facts and real perpetrators."

"No action has been taken against ISIS militants"

The statement listed concrete actions that have not been taken, despite being supported by solid evidence:

* No action has been taken for individuals identified as X-Y, who are alleged to be unidentified but are clearly visible in photos and videos, and no actions have been taken in their case for 5 years.

* Despite evidence linking them to the massacre and clear identification, no action has been taken against ISIS militants whose identities are known, and all documents have been kept secret due to a prosecutor's restriction.

* No action has been taken against public officials who have not done anything against the plotter of the massacre, although the same had been reported, and identifying information obtained for him. 

* No action has been taken against public officials who did not perform their duties throughout the trial, concealed evidence, and refused to send documents to the court.

* Despite winning a lawsuit to obtain the Civil Inspectorate report, which reveals the responsibilities of public officials, the documents are still not provided to participating lawyers.

* Not even an investigation has been initiated against Gaziantep Police personnel who did not perform their duties in relation to those who were reported for their involvement in the massacre in the 3 years.

* In the case of Ankara Police personnel who did not fulfill their duties and responsibilities regarding the massacre, the file was quickly closed without any investigation made.

* The investigation into the bombing of HDP buildings in Adana and Mersin, which are committed by fugitive defendant Savaş Yıldız and of which he is the main perpetrator, has not been completed for 8 years, and due to a restriction that has been in place for 8 years, the public is not informed.

* Almost all of the substantial information and documents requested for the clarification of the massacre and the disclosure of the real perpetrators have been rejected for 8 years.

The participating lawyers in the October 10 Ankara massacre concluded their statement saying, "There are still many dark points waiting to be explained. We have been persistently asking for 8 years: What are you hiding? Who are you protecting? We know the killers, and we will not let them off the hook."

(AS/PE)