VAN - Following the Kobanê Case, Van Bar Association Vice President Lawyer Hamza Çiftçi said that there was not even a basis of fair trial in the Kobané Case.

 

The Kobané Case hearing will be held on May 18. 108 people, 28 of whom are currently behind bars, will be standing trial, including former Peoples' Democratic Party Co-Chairs Figen Yüksekdağ and Selahattin Demirtaş.  Van Bar Association Vice President Lawyer Hamza Çiftçi spoke about the Kobanê Case. Stating that the court committee did not fulfill its legal duties, Çiftçi said that the aim of the trial is to keep the Kurdish politicians out of the political scene.

 

'NOT EVEN A BASIS FOR A FAIR TRIAL'

 

Stating that a delegation was appointed by the Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK) to the Ankara 22nd High Criminal Court,  Çiftçi stated that this situation was against the principle of natural judge in the first place. Stating that the court did not even comply with the laws to which it was bound and the rights of the defendants were violated, Çiftçi said that it would not be possible to have a fair trial by this court. Çiftçi said, “We have personally explained the issues of the law to the court, but the court said that it has made its decisions regarding them and that the demands will be evaluated after the indictment is read. The court tried to complete a form rather than a trial. They tried to draw a judgment profile. But there was no basis for a fair trial."

 

'INTERFERENCE WITH THE JUDICIARY'

 

Drawing attention to the decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) regarding the violation of Demirtaş's rights of expression, freedom, security and free elections and his release, Çiftçi said that the Kobanê Case was also determined to be in a political nature by the European Court of Human Rights. Emphasizing that it is not an independent court, Çiftçi stated that on the day of the trial hearing, Presidency Communication Director Fahrettin Altun and Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu made comments containing a conviction. Çiftçi continued as follows: “What has been done is interference with the judiciary. This is a situation that takes away the independence of the judge. Legal action must be taken regarding these. Trial made under these conditions is not a fair trial. The whole world knows this as well.

 

'THE HEARING WILL HAVE CONSEQUENCES'

 

Underlining that the hearing will have consequences and effects on Turkey's judiciary and democracy, Çiftçi said the hearing will also have an effect on the peoples. Çiftçi said: "The government must not allow these political interventions. We are witnessing today that the hearing is no more tolerable for the people. The judiciary has a duty to establish justice. In fact, it should be clearly stated that all the functioning of all institutions of the state should be based on justice, and there will be no peace where there is no justice. Trying to silence different opinions with conspiracy lawsuits will not bring anything to society. What the judiciary must do is to conclude this trial in an impartial and independent manner."