ANKARA - Emine Ayna, who made a defense in the Kobanê Political Genocide Trial, said: ‘’We are a result here, the Kobanê Trial is a result, the PKK itself is a result. The reason is the denial of the identity of the Kurds, the policies of denial, violence, and repression. The Kurds do not revolt out of the blue.’’

 

The 9th session of the 3rd hearing of the Kobanê Political Genocide Trial, in which 108 people were tried, 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 9th session continues to be held at the Sincan Prison Campus Trial Hall.

 

‘There is an emphasis on peace in my speeches’

 

Former DBP Co-Chair Emine Ayna defended the merits of the case and spoke about the ANF news in the indictment. Emine said: ‘’The speech I gave on the anniversary of the death of the three-woman politicians who were murdered in Paris was taken from the ANF. Not all the news was taken, only a few sentences. What I said there was, ‘When Öcalan comes out, we will celebrate when peace comes.’ Where is the violence in that? On the contrary, I said that there should be trust to the peace process.’’ Emine stated that there was an emphasis on peace in her other speeches included in the indictment, and therefore, it did not constitute a crime.

 

Speaking about the accusations against the demand for "education in mother tongue" in the indictment, Emine said: ‘’The demand for education in mother tongue has been our demand for years. It has been our demand since HADEP.’’

 

‘The issue is whether the rights of the Kurds will be recognized’

 

In the indictment, Emine evaluated that her speeches about the Presidential Government System were directed against her as an accusation and drew attention to the fact that they did not have a discussion like the Presidency or the Presidential System. Emine said: ‘’The issue is not the Presidentship or the Presidential System, the issue is whether the rights and will of the Kurds will be recognized in the constitution of the state. It is how Kurds can express themselves in an administrative structure. There are states with autonomous regions. In the last decentralization debate, I stated that this is what really needs to be discussed. Will it be centralized or decentralized? I told whether that system would be included in the democratic administration or not.’’

 

‘Of course I will read Abdullah Öcalan’s books’

 

Regarding the books confiscated during the raid on her house, Emine said: ‘’I am a Kurdish politician. Of course, I will read Abdullah Öcalan’s books. I had other books in my library. There is also Fethullah Gülen’s books. Am I becoming a Gulenist? There were also books on Turanism. Am I a Turanian?’’

 

‘Reason is the denial of the Kurds, the result is the PKK’

 

Emphasizing that being here is a result, Emine continued: ‘’We are a result here, the Kobanê Trial is a result, the PKK itself is a result. The reason is the denial of the identity of the Kurds, the policies of denial, violence, and repression. Kurds do not revolt out of the blue. Kurds rebel after their rights are taken away. Put yourself in our place. Suppose this is Kurdistan and you are a Kurd. Have some empathy. What did the Kurds experience? Have you ever witnessed a scene like this? Mass graves were established seven years ago. “I hope my child's bones come out of here,” a mother said. This is a very hard thing.’’

 

Reminded Aysel Tuğluk’s mother

 

Reminding the attack on the funeral of Aysel Tuğluk's mother, Hatun Tuğluk, Emine said: ‘’The burial of that old woman was not allowed in Turkey's capital. That woman's grave had to be removed from her burial place. Can you imagine the trauma this created? Think of the trauma these have caused throughout history. Can you imagine what kind of future you are creating? We must tell you this. Are we going to discuss them with you?’’

 

Emine said: ‘’There is no need for an armed struggle for the Kurdish people to have a status, but the AKP and the state are proving the opposite today. I wanted to show that there is no need for weapons to organize these demands. Since we demand these, the state tells us; "If you demand this, I will declare you a 'terrorist'." "There is no crime in expressing any of my thoughts.’’

The hearing was recessed for one and half hours.