Continuation of arrest for HDP’s Yüksekdağ

The hearing for HDP’s Figen Yüksekdağ has been postponed.

The sixth hearing of the lawsuit HDP’s (Peoples’ Democratic Party) imprisoned former Co-chair Figen Yüksekdağ is on remand for was held in the Ankara High Criminal Court No.16. Yüksekdağ didn’t attend in person to the hearing held in the Sıhhiye Courthouse.

Yüksekdağ relayed through her lawyers that she could only access her file one or two hours a week due to prison conditions and she could not attend the hearing due to the restriction of her right to defense.

HDP Istanbul MP Züleyha Gülüm was also present in the hearing.

LAWYER GÜLAĞACI: YÜKSEKDAĞ SHOULD BE RELEASED

Yüksekdağ’s lawyer Ruken Gülağacı said: “My client explained why she is not attending the hearing. Her right to defense has been restricted. The 8th summary in the casefile is quite long. It consists of cases filed against people involved in Kobanê protests and cases in various cities. This makes it hard for the client to defend herself, and it makes it hard for us to prepare a defense. The client is still in remand. My client has been in prison for 20 months. The long-term arrests must be discussed. The length of the arrest has nothing to do with my client, it is due to her being on trial with such a convoluted casefile. The client should be released and allowed to present a healthy defense. She must be released as to not violate the right to defense.”

The Court Council ruled for the continuation of Yüksekdağ’s arrest without her defense, and postponed the next hearing to September 24.