Doctor's trial in Diyarbakır: Informant H.B.A. does not attend the hearing, doctor Demir released

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Doctor Yılmaz Demir, who was arrested over the statement of informant H. B. A. who also gave statements about many other doctors and health employees in Diyarbakır resulting in their arrests, was released today after four months.

Doctor Yılmaz Demir, arrested on October 27, 2022 over the statements of informant H.B.A. was released today.

Demir was present in today's hearing at the Diyarbakır 4th heavy penal court, and also his family, his lawyers, the People's Democratic Party (HDP) Batman MP Necdet İpekyüz and executive committee members of the Diyarbakır Medical Association.

However, informant H.B.A. was not present and did not participate in the hearing.

Demir told the court that he was only the head of the public health commission of the Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality, which is one of the commissions that the municipalities are obliged to organize and also a municipality council member, and that he was not a member of any other committee.

The doctor said that he was not in a health committee of an illegal organization or treating terrorist organization members as he is being accused of in the statements of H.B.A.

The same informant has given statements against multiple health employees and doctors, Demir's lawyer reminded the court and drew attention to the fact that the informant did not could not tell her client's place of duty.

While the prosecutor requested continuation of detention, the court decided to release Demir on condition of judicial control and international travel ban.

The next hearing of the case will be on May 25 and a warrant will be sent to the police headquarters for informant H.B.A. to participate in the hearing with his voice and image changed.

What happened?

Doctor Demir was invited to the police headquarters in Diyarbakır on October 26, 2022 and then detained. He was remanded in custody at the court the other day upon the statements of informant H.B.A. whose statements were also the reason for the arrests of doctor Selçuk Mızraklı, the Co-Mayor of Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality, and Şeyhmus Gökalp, former High Honorary Board Member of the Turkish Medical Union (TTB).

Informant H.B.A. had claimed that Gökalp was sending medical stuff and equipment to the terrorist organization from the private Veni Vidi Hospital emergency service where he was working, but it was understood that Gökalp was not working in this hospital.
Gökalp was acquitted in the case in 2021.

H.B.S. also claimed that Diyarbakır Co-Mayor Mızraklı too was working in the same hospital and that Mızraklı performed a surgical operation on an injured PKK member brought to a private hospital in Diyarbakır and discharged the same person from the hospital instead of handing the person over to the security forces.

Mızraklı was not working in the mentioned hospital on the dates when the claimed incident happened the records of the Social Security Institution showed.

The court sentenced the Co-Mayor to 9 years, 4 months and 15 days of imprisonment which was reversed by the Court of Cassation on December 6, 2022. (RT/PE)