Sociologist and author Ismail Beþikçi, who spent many years in prison because of his books on the Kurdish issue, was sued with a 8 and a half years imprisonment request on charges of making PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) propaganda.

Sociologist Ismail Beþikçi was sued because of his essay “National self determination and Kurds” published on Law and Society In Our Age journal.

The bill of indictment that was prepared by Istanbul Public Prosecutor Hakan Karaali, recorded Beþikçi's statement "Kurdish people have been fighting and paying a price to have a free motherland...Syria, Iran and Turkey have been governing Kurdish people with constraint and cruelty." in his essay.

The bill of indictment pointed out Beþikçi's statement "It is the legal right of Kurdish people to develop a freedom struggle against these constraint and cruelty processes." and claimed that Beþikçi made a call to coercion and violence, aiming armed organization propaganda with these words.

At the bill of indictment, up to 8,5 years imprisonment were demanded for Beþikçi and the editor of the journal Zeycan Balcý.

Translator: Berna Ozgencil