ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Former co-chair of the Turkey’s pro-Kurdish opposition party HDP, appearing in court on Wednesday, condemned the judicial system that is trying her on terror charges.
Noting that Turkey’s judicial system has never been fully independent, Figen Yuksekdag said that now it has less independence than ever. “It is very clear that there is a hand applying pressure on this case,” she said.
Yuksekdag was arrested in November 2016 on charges of supporting terrorism and Abdullah Ocalan, imprisoned leader of the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). She appeared in court on Wednesday smiling defiantly for her third hearing.
Foreign observers were barred from entering the court room to attend her hearing. Yuksekdag condemned the move saying, “this shows how much Turkey has isolated itself from the world, how much it has become alienated to human and judicial values.”
Corinne Morel Darleux, of France’s Left Party, tweeted that after hours of waiting in the cold and “Kafka-esque” counter-orders, “Turkish police refused entry to the international delegation.”
Turkey has faced harsh criticism for its crackdown on civil society and mass arrests following the attempted coup of July 2016. Tens of thousands of people have been arrested or lost their jobs over allegations of connections to the PKK and the Fethullah Gulen movement, which Ankara blames for the coup.
“In this country, everything is done to put on trial journalists, academics, those who raise their voice for peace and democracy,” Yuksekdag told the court.
According to Morel Darleux, Yuksekdag's request for parole was rejected and she will remain in prison until her trial continues on February 20.
Yuksekdag was stripped of her MP status in the Turkish parliament in February after a conviction on terror charges and had to step down as leader of HDP.
The trial of her party co-chair, Selahattin Demirtas, who was arrested at the same time as Yuksekdag also on terror charges, will begin on Thursday. He will appear in court by video and not in person.
A group of American and European thinkers, artists, and politicians, including Noam Chomsky and Gerry Adams, wrote a statement in support of the HDP leaders this week.
Noting that Turkey’s judicial system has never been fully independent, Figen Yuksekdag said that now it has less independence than ever. “It is very clear that there is a hand applying pressure on this case,” she said.
Yuksekdag was arrested in November 2016 on charges of supporting terrorism and Abdullah Ocalan, imprisoned leader of the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). She appeared in court on Wednesday smiling defiantly for her third hearing.
Foreign observers were barred from entering the court room to attend her hearing. Yuksekdag condemned the move saying, “this shows how much Turkey has isolated itself from the world, how much it has become alienated to human and judicial values.”
Corinne Morel Darleux, of France’s Left Party, tweeted that after hours of waiting in the cold and “Kafka-esque” counter-orders, “Turkish police refused entry to the international delegation.”
Refoulés. Après des heures glaciales d’ordres et de contre-ordres kafkaïens et malgré l’accord de la Cour, la police turque a refusé de laisser entrer les délégations internationales à la 3e audience du procès de Figen Yuksekdag à la prison de Sincan, Ankara #Turquie pic.twitter.com/nMc4JYTweD
— corinne moreldarleux (@cmoreldarleux) December 6, 2017
Turkey has faced harsh criticism for its crackdown on civil society and mass arrests following the attempted coup of July 2016. Tens of thousands of people have been arrested or lost their jobs over allegations of connections to the PKK and the Fethullah Gulen movement, which Ankara blames for the coup.
“In this country, everything is done to put on trial journalists, academics, those who raise their voice for peace and democracy,” Yuksekdag told the court.
According to Morel Darleux, Yuksekdag's request for parole was rejected and she will remain in prison until her trial continues on February 20.
Yuksekdag was stripped of her MP status in the Turkish parliament in February after a conviction on terror charges and had to step down as leader of HDP.
The trial of her party co-chair, Selahattin Demirtas, who was arrested at the same time as Yuksekdag also on terror charges, will begin on Thursday. He will appear in court by video and not in person.
A group of American and European thinkers, artists, and politicians, including Noam Chomsky and Gerry Adams, wrote a statement in support of the HDP leaders this week.
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