Kurdish politicians Cihan A., Veysel S., Agit K., Evrim A. and Ozkan T. are on trial in Stuttgart, with the latter 3 also on remand.

The fourth hearing of the case was held in the Stamheim prison courtroom at 10:30. A statement sent from the prison to the court was read out loud as per the appeal the lawyers made last Friday against arbitrary practices. The statement excuses the undignified practices imposed upon Kurdish prisoners as necessitated by “security”.

The statement said, “They can be searched whenever it is necessary within the room they stay in. It is imperative to have security controls and detailed searches from the prison to the courtroom.”

Lawyers had protested that their clients had been subjected to exaggerated searches during their transport from the courtroom to the waiting room when the hearing took breaks.

There had also been protests against the lawyers and defendants being separated by a glass partition in the visitation room. The lawyers appealed and demanded an explanation for these practices.

Agit K.’s lawyer Oswald said to the chief judge, “You are just telling us the law, but we don’t accept. This doesn’t explain what happened last week.”

Lawyers pointed out that the visitors and journalists were also searched intensely before they were allowed into the courtroom, and the chief judge said they did not issue such an order.

Oswald said Agit K.’s feet were shackled as he was brought over from the Stammheim prison and that the shackles were removed before he was taken into the courtroom. Oswald asked why this practice was implemented.

The chief judge said, “You have to ask that to the prison, we don’t know why that was done. I will inquire why these processes were implemented and I will respond to that in this courtroom.”

Lawyer Oswald said Evrim A. and Ozkan T. were not given water because they aren’t normally held in Stammheim prison, and asked how that issue would be resolved. The chief judge said the lawyers can bring water to give to their clients.

The hearing continues.