A Turkish court has sentenced members of the organizing committee for the 2016 Newroz celebration in Diyarbakır to prison in a retrial, reversing earlier acquittals. The committee’s chair, Hafize İpek, and four other members received five-month prison sentences for allegedly holding an "unlawful assembly," while committee member Ramazan Kaval was also sentenced to 6 years and 3 months for “membership in a terrorist organization.”
Deniz Tekin
The verdict was issued by the 4th High Criminal Court in Diyarbakır, a city in southeastern Turkey with a predominantly Kurdish population. The final hearing was held without the defendants present, but their lawyers attended.
The court sentenced Hafize İpek, Ramazan Kaval, Abdulgani Alakan, Hüsnü Pervane, and Mahmut Çiftçi to five months in prison each for violating the Law on Demonstrations and Public Assemblies. However, the court deferred the announcement of the verdict for Kaval, Pervane, and Çiftçi, meaning the sentences may not be enforced if they meet conditions set by the court. That leniency was not extended to İpek and Alakan.
Ramazan Kaval was additionally convicted of “membership in a terrorist organization” and sentenced to 6 years and 3 months in prison.
Lawyers say event was peaceful and officially permitted
Defense lawyers argued that the Newroz celebration was a peaceful, permitted event held at a time when the state officially recognized such celebrations. They stated that all necessary permissions were obtained and that responsibility for any security issues rested with law enforcement. Slogans chanted during the event, they said, fell within the bounds of free expression.
“There was no warning issued by the police,” the lawyers told the court, adding that criminalizing a peaceful gathering attended by hundreds of thousands was unlawful. They demanded acquittals for all defendants and announced plans to appeal the ruling.
Background
The charges stem from the March 21, 2016 Newroz celebration in Diyarbakır, which marks the Kurdish New Year and has long held cultural and political significance for Kurds in Turkey. Days after the event, police detained committee members Hafize İpek, Seydi Fırat, Hüsnü Pervane, Mahmut Çiftçi, Ramazan Kaval, Abdulgani Alkan, as well as event presenter Ayşe Çelikbilek and sound technician Volkan Orhan Gündüz.
İpek, who chaired the organizing committee, was held in pre-trial detention for one month before being released. Prosecutors charged the eight with “membership in a terrorist organization,” “terrorist propaganda,” and “organizing an unlawful assembly.”
All defendants were initially acquitted, but a regional appellate court overturned the decision and sent the case back for retrial. The acquittal of sound technician Volkan Orhan Gündüz was upheld.
