The seventh hearing of the KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) Istanbul main case has begun at Istanbul 15th High Criminal Court in Silivri Prison Complex on Monday.

205 politicians (91 are in prison), are tried in the so called KCK Istanbul case. Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) politicians, academics and human rights defenders on trial were arrested in a KCK operation which targeted BDP provincial and district offices, politics academies and institutions in Istanbul between 5 and 28 September 2011.

The hearing which is being attended by 78 politicians and human rights activists on trial, as well as their lawyers and relatives, continues with the giving of evidence against BDP Istanbul former chair Lütfiye Gürbüz who has refused to respond to the accusations the court has directed to her in relation with the audio surveillance of alleged BDP meetings, defending that the questions are unlawful.