27 people are facing trial because they attended the funeral ceremony of political writer Kutsiye Bozoklar in 2009. Among the defendants are also three journalists, namely Sanat ve Hayat ('Arts and Living') magazine publication director Hacı Orman, Demokrat Radio employee journalist İsminaz Ergün and Dayanışma ('Solidarity') newspaper employee Emin Orhan. The case was postponed to 29 September.
The defendants are tried under allegations of "membership in the Marxist Leninist Communist Party (MLKP)" and "spreading propaganda" for the party that is listed as a terrorist organization in Turkey as of 2007. The trial was continued before the Ankara 12th High Criminal Court on 14 April. The court accepted the petitions of excuse presented by some of the defence lawyers and decided to postpone the case.
Other people tried for attending the funeral are leftist Figen Yüksekdağ, Women Workers Association (EKD) executive Fatma Saygılı, Head of the Izmir Socialist Youth Association (SGD) Hayriye Çiçek, Çağdaş Karakuş, Ayhan Namoğlu, President of the Tekstil-Sen trade union Ayşe Yumli Yeter, Mustafa Naci Toper, Tunceli Representative of the Socialist Party Initiative of the Oppressed (ESP) Sıtkı Güngör, Uğur Ok and Cenan Altunç.
"Farewell speeches" at funeral as reasons for crime
Bozoklar was the head of the publications commission of the Arts and Living magazine and wrote for the Atılım newspaper under the pseudonym of Işık Kutlu. She was laid to rest on 18 July 2009. The farewell speeches given and slogans chanted during the funeral ceremony are included in the indictment as reasons for crime.
The defendants were taken into custody in the course of raids carried out in seven different provinces on 8 September 2009. 13 of the defendants were arrested on 11 September and stayed in detention until they were released at the first hearing on 29 January 2010. (EÇ/VK)
Source: Etkin news Agency.
