European delegation tells of unlawful practices in KCK trial
European delegation tells of unlawful practices in KCK trial
The European Delegation sent to observe the so called KCK (Democratic Confederation of Kurdistan) trial in Diyarbakir said the trial is unlawful. Composed by members from Germany, Austria and Greece, the Delegation said: “We witnessed an unlawful trial as well as brutal practice against the defendants and demonstrators in Diyarbakýr.”
“We have followed the trial against Kurdish politicians. As we saw, every practice of soldiers and police in Diyarbakýr and in the court house was anti-democratic. What it was obvious about for us that this trial is certainly not legitimate but political. There was nothing which meets with European standards at the court. Be believed that this trial is symbolic. No one has an authority to trial elected politicians in such a terrible situation,” said Andrej Hunko, a member of the European Parliament, when he was speaking to DÝHA about KCK trial.
Lawyers for Kurdish politicians at the so-called KCK trial in Diyarbakir boycotted the hearing yesterday. The defense lawyers are arguing that their clients have the right to defend themselves in Kurdish, while the Court says they haven't. When the KCK trial resumed on Monday, lawyers walked out and staged a sit in protest.
The trial see 151 Kurdish politicians and human rights activists in the dock accused of allegedly representing the urban wing of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The biggest trial opened in Diyarbakir on 18 October last year.
In a series of police operations beginning on 14 April 2009 and referred to in the press as the ‘KCK operations’, 151 people were detained on the basis of alleged links to illegal organizations. These people included lawyers, mayors, politicians, trade unionists and human rights activists, were recently brought to trial together in Diyarbakir.
“We have followed the trial against Kurdish politicians. As we saw, every practice of soldiers and police in Diyarbakýr and in the court house was anti-democratic. What it was obvious about for us that this trial is certainly not legitimate but political. There was nothing which meets with European standards at the court. Be believed that this trial is symbolic. No one has an authority to trial elected politicians in such a terrible situation,” said Andrej Hunko, a member of the European Parliament, when he was speaking to DÝHA about KCK trial.
Lawyers for Kurdish politicians at the so-called KCK trial in Diyarbakir boycotted the hearing yesterday. The defense lawyers are arguing that their clients have the right to defend themselves in Kurdish, while the Court says they haven't. When the KCK trial resumed on Monday, lawyers walked out and staged a sit in protest.
The trial see 151 Kurdish politicians and human rights activists in the dock accused of allegedly representing the urban wing of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The biggest trial opened in Diyarbakir on 18 October last year.
In a series of police operations beginning on 14 April 2009 and referred to in the press as the ‘KCK operations’, 151 people were detained on the basis of alleged links to illegal organizations. These people included lawyers, mayors, politicians, trade unionists and human rights activists, were recently brought to trial together in Diyarbakir.
