Kobanê Case Takes a Dramatic Turn: State Organizations Granted Permission to Join Landmark Trial
- The 22nd High Criminal Court in Ankara, Turkey, held the second hearing of the "Second Trial of Kobanê" on September 10, where former officials of the People's Democratic...
- The trial involves former HDP deputies Hüda Kaya, Serpil Kemalbay, Fatma Kurtulan, Pero Dündar, and Garo Paylan, who each face 38 aggravated life sentences for their alleged roles...
- Hüda Kaya, recently released from custody, attended the hearing via video conferencing.
Second Trial of Kobanê: Former HDP Officials Face 38 Aggravated Life Sentences
The 22nd High Criminal Court in Ankara, Turkey, held the second hearing of the “Second Trial of Kobanê” on September 10, where former officials of the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) are accused of starting protests in response to the ISIS attack on Kobanê in 2014.
The trial involves former HDP deputies Hüda Kaya, Serpil Kemalbay, Fatma Kurtulan, Pero Dündar, and Garo Paylan, who each face 38 aggravated life sentences for their alleged roles in the protests between October 6-8, 2014.
Hüda Kaya, recently released from custody, attended the hearing via video conferencing. The politicians’ lawyers were present, along with attorneys representing the Ministry of Interior, the Istanbul Governor’s Office, and various state institutions.
The court announced that several ministries and organizations, including the National Intelligence Institute (MIT) and the Presidency of Religious Affairs, have requested to join the case.
In response to the prosecutor’s requests, Kaya argued that the allegations were baseless and that the trial was illegal. Defense attorneys echoed these sentiments.
After the defenses were presented, the court ruled against lifting the judicial control measures on Kaya. The court also accepted the participation requests from the ministries and organizations and decided to initiate the necessary procedures for the extradition of Serpil Kemalbay to Turkey. The hearing was adjourned until November 5.
The Kobanê protests took place between October 6 and 8, 2014, causing dozens of deaths. Protesters flooded the streets in Turkey’s predominantly Kurdish southeast, angered by the Turkish government’s lack of action to protect Syrian Kurds as ISIS besieged Kobanê.
The defendants were charged with several crimes, including the murders of 37 people and “disturbing the unity and integrity of the state.”
In the controversial verdicts of the Kobanê trial, the court sentenced former HDP co-chairs Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ to 42 years and 30 years, respectively.