'The Permanent Witness' on Parliamentary Agenda: 'Hundreds Arrested Because of Them'

Click to read the article in Turkish

Hundreds of people were arrested based on statements by "permanent witnesses," MPs from the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) and the Workers Party of Turkey (TİP) have said in a press conference at the parliament.

HDP MP Musa Piroğlu said a report by bianet's Ayça Söylemez has "revealed how hollow and unlawful the witness statements are."

CLICK - 'I Became an Informant When I was 10'

bianet published several reports about a self-proclaimed informant named İ.Ö., who testified in more than a hundred political cases, including the trial of Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD) members. İ.Ö. has been in prison and under a witness protection program.

"The state all but works with permanent witnesses, and the courts remand hundreds of people based on the hollow statements of these permanent statements. ÇHD member lawyers, Amed [Diyarbakır] Co-Mayor Selçuk Mızraklı and hundreds of people are held prisoners," Piroğlu stated.

The MPs also asked the government to end the "anonymous witness" practice. MPs Kemal Bülbül, Zeynel Özen, Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu, Musa Piroğlu and Hüseyin Kaçmaz from the HDP and Erkan Baş from the TİP also attended the conference.

CLICK - Court Issues Prison Sentence Despite No Evidence Except Witness Claim

In another political trial, Mustafa Koçak (28) was sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment for "violating the Constitution." The court had given a ruling based on statements by anonymous witnesses. Koçak has been in a "death fast" for his right to a fair trial. (VK)