The trial against student Dersim Konak continued on Tuesday at a court in the province of Dersim. The 23-year-old was arrested in August 2017 on so-called terrorist charges and has been in custody since then. As is customary in the trials of politically active Kurds in Turkey, the accusations against her are based on statements by a witness whose name is kept secret. Specifically, Konak is accused of having participated in demonstrations and rallies on the International Women's Day on March 8 and Labour Day on May 1. She is also accused of having attended memorial events for the founder of TKP/ML, Ibrahim Kaypakkaya. If convicted, she faces a long prison sentence.

During the trial against the former spokesperson of the "Socialist Student Movement" (SÖH), Dersim Konak was joined the hearing via videoconferencing system from the prison in Hilvan. Only her lawyer was allowed to sit in the courtroom, and trial observers were excluded from the attendance because of the pandemic rules. Konak rejected the accusations against her and stated in her defence that she had acted within the framework of legal and democratic actions. The court again rejected lawyers’ request to release her from prison. Instead, a new hearing was ordered. Dersim Konak will remain in custody for the time being. The trial against her will continue on November 17.