Former HDP Co-Chair Yüksekdağ’s case merged with Kobane trial

* Photo: Social media

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Arrested pending trial, former Co-Chair of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Figen Yüksekdağ had her hearing yesterday (February 24).

While Figen Yüksekdağ did not attend the hearing held by the Ankara 16th Heavy Penal Court, the attorneys were present in the courtroom. Following the identification of the attendees, the attorneys made defense and requested Figen Yüksekdağ's release.

As reported by JinNews, the court board has handed down its interim judgement and ruled that this case file, where Yüksekdağ is arrested pending trial, shall be merged with the "Kobane case" which is filed into the Kobane incidents of October 6-8, 2014 and which is to be heard by the Ankara 22nd Heavy Penal Court, as the indictment has been accepted.

In justifying this ruling, the court board has indicated that there is a personal, de facto and de jure connection between the main trial and Kobane trial.

Rejecting the attorneys' request for Yüksekdağ's release, the court board has listed the reasons for this rejection as follows: "...Considering that the defendant has been indicted on charge of establishing and leading an organization and the period served behind bars arrested is proportional to the protective measure, the arrest of the defendant shall continue..."

What happened?

In November 2016, as part of investigations carried out by Diyarbakır, Hakkari, Van, Şırnak and Bingöl Chief Public Prosecutor's Offices, an operation was launched against HDP MPs.

HDP Co-Chair Figen Yüksekdağ was detained from her house in Ankara and Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş from his house in Diyarbakır.

Demirtaş and Yüksekdağ were arrested by the 2nd Penal Judgeship of Peace. Yüksekdağ was sent to Kandıra Type F Prison in Kocaeli province and Demirtaş to Edirne Prison in northwestern Turkey.

Arrested since November 4, 2016, former HDP Co-Chair Figen Yüksekdağ has been standing trial on charges of "leading an organization", "propagandizing for a terrorist organization", "violating the law on meetings and demonstrations", "inciting the public to enmity and hatred", "provoking to commit crime" and "degrading the Turkish nation, the state of the Republic of Turkey and the institutions and bodies of the state."

The file of the case brought against Yüksekdağ consists of 7 different summaries of proceedings. The 92-page indictment demands that Yüksekdağ be sentenced to 30 years to 83 years in prison.

Her activities within the Democratic Society Congress (DTK) and some other political activities are brought against the politician as criminal evidence.

From the Kobane indictment

The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office prepared an indictment regarding the Kobani protests that took place on October 6-8, 2014.

108 people, including the arrested former Co-Chair of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Selahattin Demirtaş, were among the "suspects".

As reported by the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA), the indictment demanded the penalization of all suspects on charges of "disrupting the unity and territorial integrity of the state", "killing for 37 times, "attempted killing for 31 times", "burning the flag" and "violating the Law on Protecting Atatürk."

Prepared by the Terror Crimes Investigation Bureau of the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, the indictment was sent to the Ankara 22nd Heavy Penal Court. The court accepted the indictment on January 7, 2021.

Here are the names of all defendants: Figen Yüksekdağ, Sebahat Tuncel, Selahattin Demirtaş, Selma Irmak, Sırrı Süreyya Önder, Gülfer Akkaya, Gülser Yıldırım, Gültan Kışanak, Ahmet Türk, Ali Ürküt, Alp Altınörs, Altan Tan, Ayhan Bilgen, Nazmi Gür, Ayla Akat Ata, Aysel Tuğluk, İbrahim Binici, Ayşe Yağcı, Nezir Çakan, Pervin Oduncu, Meryem Adıbelli, Mesut Bağcık, Bircan Yorulmaz, Bülent Barmaksız, Can Memiş, Cihan Erdal, Berfin Özgü Köse, Günay Kubilay, Dilek Yağlı, Emine Ayna, Emine Beyza Üstün, Mehmet Hatip Dicle, Ertuğrul Kürkçü, Yurdusev Özsökmenler, Arife Köse, Ayfer Kordu, Aynur Aşan, Ayşe Tonğuç, Azime Yılmaz, Bayram Yılmaz, Bergüzar Dumlu, Cemil Bayık, Ceylan Bağrıyanık, Cihan Ekin, Demir Çelik, Duran Kalkan, Elif Yıldırım, Emine Tekas, Emine Temel, Emrullah Cin, Engin Karaaslan, Enver Güngör, Ercan Arslan, Fatma Şenpınar, Fehman Hüseyin, Ferhat Aksu, Filis Arslan, Filiz Duman, Gönül Tepe, Gülseren Törün, Gülten Alataş, Gülüşan Eksen, Gülüzar Tural, Güzel İmecik, Hacire Ateş, Hatice Altınışık, Hülya Oran, İsmail Özden, İsmail Şengül, Kamuran Yüksek, Layika Gültekin, Leyla Söğüt Aydeniz, Mahmut Dora, Mazhar Öztürk, Mazlum Tekdağ, Abdulselam Demirkıran, Mehmet Taş, Mehmet Tören, Menafi Bayazit, Mızgın Arı, Murat Karayılan, Mustafa Karasu, Muzaffer Ayata, Nazlı Taşpınar, Neşe Baltaş, Nihal Ay, Nuriye Kesbir, Remzi Kartal, Rıza Altun, Ruken Karagöz, Sabiha Onar, Sabri Ok, Salih Akdoğan, Salih Müslüm Muhammed, Salman Kurtulan, Sara Aktaş, Sibel Akdeniz, Şenay Oruç, Ünal Ahmet Çelen, Yahya Figan, Yasemin Becerekli, Yusuf Koyuncu, Yüksel Baran, Zeki Çelik, Zeynep Karaman, Zeynep Ölbeci, Zübeyir Aydar.

About Kobani protests

Before the protests held to support Kobani in northern Syria in 2014, those who were waiting in the district of Suruç, Urfa in southeastern Turkey and wanted to cross the border were intervened with pepper gas and rubber bullets. In the meantime, some pictures allegedly showing ISIS militia crossing the border of Turkey were published.

President and ruling AKP Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made statements indicating that they equated PKK with ISIS. While the wounded coming from Kobani were kept waiting on the border, the wounded from ISIS were treated at hospitals. Several news reports were reported in the press, saying "Kobani fell." These news reports were denied every time.

After the HDP made a call to take to the streets against a possible massacre in Kobani, thousands of people protested in Kurdish-majority provinces as well as Ankara and İstanbul. While left parties also supported these protests, deaths also occurred with the onset of police violence. Street conflicts ensued. 42 people lost their lives from October 6 to 12, 2014.

According to a report by the Human Rights Association (İHD), 46 people died, 682 people were wounded and 323 people were arrested in the protests held between September 7 and 12, 2014. As reported by the AA, 31 people lost their lives, 221 citizens and 139 police officers were wounded.

(EMK/SD)