The last hearing of the Kobanê Trial was held on June 15 in Ankara with the attendance of hundreds of lawyers. There were frequent tensions between the police and the lawyers in the courtroom. Following the hearing, an investigation has been launched against Kadir Kutevi, one of the lawyers of the Van Bar Association, for allegedly “disrupting the court order”. The lawyer, who is claimed to have taken pictures during the hearing, will stand trial at Van 5th High Criminal Court.

'LAWYERS ARE CRIMINALIZED'

Lawyer Kutevi spoke about the investigation and said, “This happens to us in almost every hearing we attend. When we go to monitor the trials of Kurdish politicians, we face all kinds of obstacles. We encounter very negative attitudes towards the right of defence, which is an indispensable part of the legal process. Recently, our lawyer friends have been criminalized. While monitoring the hearing of Mr. Selahattin Demirtaş, police officers came to me and asked for my mobile phone. I said that there was no video on my phone. Still, they prepared a report about me. Since I was focused on the hearing, I didn't care much. I didn't even look at the report. I will stand trial before a high criminal court.”