Lawyers have filed an objection to the remanding in custody of 4 wounded people from 4 Kobanê who were arrested along with their companions and the owner of the house where they were receiving treatment last week.

6 wounded people from Kobanê, 3 companions and the house owner were arrested on 2 December in Urfa. 4 of those receiving treatment and the owner of the house, Mustafa Çiçek, were remanded in custody by a court. Lawyers Bekir Benek, Sedat Gözkıran, Murat Toprak, Sevda Özbingöl and Halil Öncel representing the defendants filed objections against the remand at the Urfa no. 2 Criminal Court yesterday. After submitting the petitions, lawyer Bekir Benek compared the arrest of people who were registered with the authorities and were receiving treatment in houses after being discharged from hospital was a ‘political operation’, in raids reminiscent of the 90s. Benek described the formal arrest of Mustafa Çiçek and the four wounded people from Kobanê as an attempt to distract attention from the attack launched on Kobanê by ISIS from the Mürşitpınar border gate.

Benek added: "Although they have been remanded on a charge of ‘membership of an illegal organisation’ there is no mention of an illegal organisation in the file. If there is an organisation it is a humanitarian one. I believe this is a political operation and we have therefore today submitted a petition to the no. 2 Criminal Court."

Benek condemned the portraying of: “our brothers from Kobanê and our citizens helping them as criminals”.