Twenty one years old T.T. who suffered violence in Pozantý prison, was in Court today for the first hearing of his trial. He has been accused of "membership of an illegal organization", "making propaganda for an illegal organization" and "resisting against police officers".

The prosecutor asked for 26 years prison sentence for the charges. The trial has been postponed to 28 June.

T.T. was jailed on March 7 accused of having taken part to an illegal demonstration after he told DÝHA News Agency about the abuses he suffered in Pozantý and Kürkçüler prisons. DÝHA journalist Özlem Aðuþ who interviewed T.T. was also been arrested on the allegations of being member of an illegal organization and making propaganda of an illegal organization.

It has been learned that T.T. who has attempted suicide twice was attacked by an ordinary prisoner in the mental health hospital on March 19 and 20, causing fractures on his head. T.T. had refused treatment once before and wanted to go back to the prison for a gendarmerie soldier told ordinary prisoners to beat T.T. who is a ‘terrorist.’ However, T.T. was hospitalized again with the efforts of his lawyers and human rights advocates.

T.T.’s parents Beþir and Azize Tekin are very concerned about T.T.’s health and safety and demand his immediate release. His lawyer Tugay Bek points out that the violent attack is proof that T.T. cannot get treatment under these conditions and emphasizes that he needs to be immediately released in order to get treatment.