Co-Chair of the Trade Union of Public Employees in Health and Social Services (SES), Selma Atabey, said that they faced a conspiracy in the case against them and added, “We stand behind what we do and our cause.”
The first hearing of the case against 8 trade unionists including the Co-Chair of the SES and its administrators is being held at the Ankara 22nd High Criminal Court. Numerous unions and non-governmental organizations are monitoring the hearing. Representatives of the Public Services International (PSI), the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) and UNISON are monitoring the hearing in an act of international solidarity.
Speaking to the Mesopotamia Agency (MA) before the hearing, SES Co-Chair Atabey said that they were detained on May 25, 2021, and were informed about the charges against them after 8 days of detention.
“We received the indictment two weeks ago. They accused union directors like us who have worked in unions for years, of terrible allegations. They put forward incredibly funny things and statements we made about the problems experienced by health workers following the outbreak of COVID-19 as evidence. Moreover, a solidarity project introduced by us is cited as a crime,” Atabey said.
'CONSPIRACY CASE'
Atabey noted that former Co-Chair of the SES, Gönül Erden, has been under detention for about 8 months and stressed that the case is nothing but a conspiracy against them.
“We know that we will be acquitted. We stand behind what we do and our cause,” she said.
