International monitoring of the latest hearing in the KCK trial of Kurdish lawyersDear all,
Last week, Peace in Kurdistan campaign patron Margaret Owen OBE, barrister Melanie Gingell and solicitor Ali Has returned to Istanbul’s Silivri Prison complex to continue their observation of the ongoing KCK case against 46 Kurdish lawyers. Under Turkey’s draconian anti-terror laws, the lawyers have been accused of being members of an illegal organisation led by Abdullah Ocalan, and even, being part of a so-called ‘leadership committee’. The majority have been held on remand in prison, without having been convicted, since their arrest in November 2011, and have only been in court for a total of 6 days in the last eighteen months.
In Margaret’s latest blog, she exposes the use of illegally obtained and flimsy evidence against the lawyers, as well as how the day in court developed:
“...This hearing was held in a huge new courthouse in the prison grounds, the building of which was only completed a month ago. In the rear end of the vast chamber congregated relatives of the defendants: not only wives, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, but many small children, all desperate to catch a glimpse of their loved one. The moment the 45 defendants appeared from the stairs leading up to the front of the court, the relatives got to their feet, clapped loudly and waved their hands, while the small children called out excitedly "baba, baba" (father). One tiny girl kept calling out to her father so insistently in Kurdish "Baba, ben seni ozledim" (father I miss you), climbing up on the metal barrier that separated the defendants from the rest of us, that in compassion, and in spite of the hostile glances of the armed police, one intrepid lawyer carried the triumphant child right up to the defendants' enclosure and put her, just for a short minute, into her father’s arms. It was a brief moment of real humanity in the otherwise kafkaesque scenario of this purely political trial applauded by all of us, the relatives and the international observers...”
The rest of her blog can be read here: http://peaceinkurdistancampaign.wordpress.com/2013/06/24/margaret-owen-blogs-from-istanbul-during-fifth-kck-lawyers-trial-hearing/
The UK delegation also issued a joint press release with the other international observer groups present at the trial, which is also attached, or available for you to read here: http://peaceinkurdistancampaign.wordpress.com/2013/06/24/international-lawyers-groups-issue-joint-statement-on-kck-lawyers-trial/
Find out more about the KCK case against the lawyers and read observation reports from previous hearings here:http://peaceinkurdistancampaign.wordpress.com/activities/delegations/international-observation-of-the-kck-trial-of-kurdish-lawyers/
The trial continues on 17 September 2013. Having an international presence at these kinds of trials is very important, not only as a means of expressing solidarity but to expose abuses by the Turkish judiciary. If you are interested in participating in the next delegation, please get in touch with us using the contact details below.
In solidarity,
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Peace in Kurdistan Campaign for a political solution of the Kurdish QuestionEmail: estella24@tiscali.co.uk <mailto:estella24@tiscali.co.uk>
www.peaceinkurdistancampaign.wordpress.com
Contacts Estella Schmid 020 7586 5892 & Melanie Sirinathsingh - Tel: 020 7272 7890
Fax: 020 7263 0596
Patrons: Lord Avebury, Lord Rea, Lord Dholakia, Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP, Jill Evans MEP, Jean Lambert MEP, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Hywel Williams MP, Elfyn Llwyd MP, Conor Murphy MP, John Austin, Bruce Kent, Gareth Peirce, Julie Christie, Noam Chomsky, John Berger, Edward Albee, Margaret Owen OBE, Prof Mary Davis, Mark Thomas
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