Istanbul 15th High Criminal Court rejected the recusation demand at the KCK (Kurdish Communities Union) main trial at Silivri Complex. Lawyers left the court room in protest in which defendant Kurdish politicians also joined turning their back on the court board.

In a statement after the rejection by the court board, lawyers said that they wouldn’t be attending the hearing in the afternoon.

Speaking on behalf of defense lawyers, Istanbul Bar Association Presidential Candidate Filiz Kerestecioðlu reminded of PM’s “My Kurdish brothers and sisters” statements at the AKP congress last Sunday and added; “A considerable part of your Kurdish brothers and sisters are in jail as the judiciary is “doing what is necessary” as you had said earlier. There will be no return once the sense of justice of a society gets harmed”. Kerestecioðlu called on the AKP government to keep its hands off the judiciary” and to “end this game that all people have been dragged into”.

Kerestecioðlu added that “The court wants to try the hearing without lawyers, defendants and press as it actually wants to impose a sentence directly rather than trying a case”.