Lawyer Şiar Rişvanoğlu, who was tried in Adana on the charge of “membership in an armed terrorist organization,” was acquitted on the grounds of insufficient evidence.
Özgür Kaya
In the case heard at the Adana 11th High Criminal Court, it was decided to acquit lawyer Şiar Rişvanoğlu, who was on trial on the allegation of “membership in an armed terrorist organization.”
The third hearing of the case in which Rişvanoğlu, registered with the Adana Bar Association, was tried was held with the current panel. A large number of lawyers attended the hearing of Rişvanoğlu, who was tried without detention.
In the indictment prepared by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, it was alleged that Rişvanoğlu took part in the “social field structure” of the PKK/KCK. In the file, witness statements, HTS records, MASAK reports and open-source research were presented as evidence.
At the hearing, the prosecutor repeated the opinion on the merits that he had presented in the previous session and requested that Rişvanoğlu be punished.
Repeating his previous statements in his defense statement, Rişvanoğlu said, “I do not recognize this court. My political view and identity are being tried. I reject this. No court can try this.”
Stating that he believes in the Kurdish people’s right to self-determination, Rişvanoğlu rejected the accusations. He said, “Prosecutors who do not even know history are targeting us with the police’s fabricated theories.”
Voicing criticisms regarding the judicial system as well, Rişvanoğlu said, “While hundreds of penalties are given in one place, in another place no case is filed despite serious crimes. This shows the situation the law is in.”
Rişvanoğlu’s lawyers, on the other hand, stated that there is no concrete evidence in the file regarding membership in an organization. The lawyers said that witness statements were rejected in the hearing, stating, “The witness’s statement of ‘I do not know him’ before the court has collapsed the basis of the file.”
In the defense, it was also emphasized that the MASAK and HTS records were within the scope of professional activity and that there is no concrete evidence establishing an “organic bond” in the file.
The court panel decided to acquit Rişvanoğlu on the grounds of “insufficient evidence.”
