The verdict was handed down against the Turkish fascist Onur Gencer, who broke into the building of the HDP (Peoples’ Democratic Party) provincial association of İzmir on 17 June 2021 and cruelly murdered the Kurdish woman Deniz Poyraz. The right-wing extremist, who received military training from the Turkish state, was sentenced in İzmir to an aggravated life sentence plus nine years. The court sentenced Gencer to life imprisonment for "intentional homicide", four years for "damage to property", two years for "trespassing" and three years for "violation of the firearms law".

Following the court's decision to deny access to the courtroom to the lawyers of the joint plaintiffs, the lawyers and hundreds of people watching the trial began a sit-in protest outside the court.

"THE COURT FEARS THE TRUTH"

The former president of the İzmir Bar Association, Özkan Yücel, told the court that the theatre had been played to an empty courtroom. Remarking the court was afraid of the truth, Yücel said: "This is not a trial. Those who protected the murderer, from the prosecutor to the law enforcement officials to the court committee, have Deniz Poyraz's blood on their hands. This is a murder to maintain a political climate of fear. That's what we would have said if we had entered the courtroom. But even if they don't let us into the courtroom, we will resist and fight everywhere."

Abdülmecit Yıldırım, one of the lawyers in the case, said: "This is not the first time we have seen a political trial. The 6-7 October, Madımak and Maraş massacres took place in this country. The killers of Tahir Elçi and Musa Anter were not named, and even awards were given. In this case, we know that they will sentence the murderer to life imprisonment and say: 'We have punished him'. But that is not true. Someone gave him the gun and stood behind him. We do not accept that these people are not punished. We promise Deniz not to give up on this case."

Nahit Eren, the president of the Amed (tr. Diyarbakır) Bar Association, said that incidents like the one in the İzmir courtroom happen again and again. He recalled the racist massacre in Konya, saying, "The last time something like this happened was after Konya. The murder here is identical to the massacre there. We asked for an investigation to uncover those behind it, but they gave seven life sentences to one person alone. We have been experiencing this for a hundred years. Unfortunately, the judicial system measures with a different yardstick when it comes to crimes that Kurds are victims of. One day the dirty background of these attacks will definitely be revealed, and that day is near."

FEHIME POYRAZ: "I AM NOT AFRAID OF THE STATE"

Fehime Poyraz, the mother of slain Deniz Poyraz, said: "I am not afraid of the state or the police. They are afraid of our shadow. They have hidden the perpetrators of the massacre from the Kurdish people. The state supported this murderer. From now on, they can do anything. However, we remain steadfast. Martyrs are immortal."

MITHAT SANCAR: "THE TRUTH WILL NOT REMAIN HIDDEN"

HDP Co-Chair Mithat Sancar stated that they were witnessing the tragic end of a show trial in which basic rights of lawyers were violated: "A trial held in camera is arbitrarily continued despite the clear provisions of the constitution. This is a reflection of the order the government wants to create in the country. It wants to create a country where truth is destroyed. But there are millions of people who will not allow this to happen; honourable lawyers, the Democracy Bloc, which has followed this process from the beginning, and the Kurdish people's tireless force for freedom. The state will not be able to cover up the truth about political connections and intentions."

After the speeches, the crowd ended the sit-in protest and made their way to the İzmir Bar Association to await the verdict.