The final hearing of the lawsuit filed against 38 people, including the Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Co-Chair Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar and 78’ers Initiative Spokesperson Celalettin Can, members and executives of the Peoples’ Democratic Congress (HDK), Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) and Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (HDP), was held in Istanbul on Thursday. The defendants are accused ‘being members of an illegal organisation’ and ‘making propaganda for an illegal organisation’.

Some of the defendants and their lawyers attended the final hearing at the 28th High Criminal Court in Çağlayan district.

The prosecution repeated its final opinion for 35 defendants to be sentenced and 3 others to be acquitted on the mentioned charges.

Meral Hanbayat, the lawyer of DBP Co-Chair Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar, stated that her client is an MP for the DEM Party in Istanbul and has legislative immunity, asking for a stay of proceedings.

The court decided to suspend the trial of DBP Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar and sentenced 21 people including 78'liler Initiative spokesperson Celalettin Can and DEM Party Central Executive Board (MYK) member Elif Bulut to 6 years and 3 months each for “being an illegal organisation member”. The court sentenced 3 people, including DEM Party Istanbul Co-Chair Gonca Yangöz, to 1 year and 3 months each for ‘making propaganda for an illegal organisation’ and acquitted 13 people.