Medine Mamedoğlu
Diyarbakır - The third hearing in the trial of Ramazan Şimşek, owner of Pîne Café, on the charge of “making propaganda for an organization” was held at the Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court in southeastern Turkey. A prosecutor’s opinion on the merits will be prepared regarding Şimşek, who is being tried over a statement he made after Kurdish Language Day that service would be provided in Kurdish at his café.
The hearing began with identification procedures and was attended by lawyer Mehdi Özdemir and Ramazan Şimşek. Delivering his defense statement in Kurdish, Şimşek said the trial should not be prolonged further and that a decision should be issued.
Lawyer Mehdi Özdemir requested the return of technical equipment seized during detention and asked for the lifting of the ban on leaving the country.
After deliberation, the panel of judges rejected the requests and adjourned the hearing until 9:45 a.m. on April 21 for the preparation of the prosecutor’s opinion and the submission of defense statements.
