ANKARA - The 3rd hearing of the Kobanê Political Genocide Trial started on the 2nd day, with the politicians on trial requesting additional time for their defense.

 

In the 3rd hearing of the Kobanê Political Genocide Trial, in which 108 people, 28 of whom were imprisoned, including the former Co-Chairs of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Figen Yüksekdağ and Selahattin Demirtaş and the former Co-Chair of the Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Sebahat Tuncel, are on trial. The third hearing started on the 2nd day at the Ankara 22nd High-Criminal Court. The hearing held in the Sincan Prison Campus Hall was attended by HDP MPs, HDP Ankara provincial and district executives, bar association chairs from various cities, many lawyers, journalists, and many citizens.

 

Police crowdedness in front of the Sincan Prison Campus, where the hearing was held, continued today. While 60 people who came to watch the hearing were taken to the hall where the hearing was held, the others were taken to another reserved hall.

 

Most of the imprisoned politicians were connected with SEGBİS

 

Former HDP Co-Chairs Figen Yüksekdağ and Selahattin Demirtaş, former Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality Co-chair Gültan Kışanak, DBP former Co-Chair Emine Ayna, HDP Radio and Television Supreme Board (RTÜK) member Ali Ürküt, HDP Foreign Relations Commission member Nazmi Gür, a trustee appointed instead Kars Municipality Co-Mayor Ayhan Bilgen, HDP former MP Gülser Yıldırım, HDP former Central Executive Board members Zeynep Ölbeci, Cihan Erdal, Can Memiş, Meryem Adıbelli from the prisons where they are detained, and İmralı Delegation member Sırrı Süreyya Önder, who was on trial without arrest, from Istanbul were connected to the hearing via Sound and Video Information System (SEGBİS). Altan Tan, Ahmet Türk and Gülfer Akkaya, who were tried without arrest, did not attend the hearing by sending an excuse petition.

 

Ayla Akat Ata and Sebahat Tuncel were present in the courtroom

 

Former HDP MP and Free Women’s Movement (TJA) activist Ayla Akat Ata, former Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Co-Chair Sebahat Tuncel, HDP former spokesperson Günay Kubilay, former MPs Emine Beyza Üstün, İbrahim Binici, HDP new term Central Executive Board member Alp Altınörs, former HDP compter Zeki Çelik, HDP former Central Executive Board members Pervin Oduncu, Ayşe Yağcı, Bircan Yorulmaz, Berfin Özgül Köse, Meryem Adıbelli, Bülent Parmaksız, İsmail Şengül, Dilek Yağ and Sibel Akdeniz were present in the courtroom.

 

Arrested politicians demand additional time

 

The hearing, which started with identification, continues with the detained politicians requesting additional time to defend on the merits.