EYLEM SONBAHAR
Members and leaders of the Turkish Workers' Party (TIP), who are being tried for protesting the sale of tents by the Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay), have shared in their defense statement that they were detained under torture.
The first hearing of the case against 87 TIP members and leaders, charged with "violating the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations" for protesting Kızılay, which was revealed to have sold tents from its stock for money during the aftermath of the earthquake, took place on February 7, 2024, the day after the anniversary of the earthquake and during memorial events for those who died in the affected cities.
The trial, held at the Istanbul Anadolu 44th Criminal Court of First Instance, was conducted in a conference hall due to the small size of the courtroom. The trial was attended by TIP Spokesperson and Istanbul Deputy Sera Kadıgil and TIP Deputy Chairman Doğan Ergün.
"The ones who should be on trial are the President of Kızılay and his administration"
TIP Youth Secretary and Central Executive Committee Member Aleyna Arzum Yalçın, who spoke first, stated, "One year has passed since the February 6 earthquake. Yesterday, we commemorated our losses throughout Turkey. Today, we are here. We are being tried for not accepting the sale of tents by Kızılay, which were produced with public donations and should have been sent directly to the region. Let's be clear; the ones who should be on trial are not us but the President of Kızılay Kerem Kınık and his administration."
"We are on trial not for thievery, fraud, embezzlement, or causing the death of thousands, but for exposing and protesting those who should be tried," said TIP Central Executive Committee Member Can Soyer, mentioning that they were detained with torture.
"Hatay's urgent needs were delayed due to our detention"
Soyer added, "After being held in a police bus for hours, we were released as if nothing had happened early in the morning. We lost nothing, but that night, the aid truck that was supposed to reach Hatay couldn't be loaded, and the urgent needs awaited by Hatay were delayed solely due to the arbitrary behavior of the police. The burden of this will, I'm sure, be carried by those police chiefs who ordered the detention for the rest of their lives."
Cengiz Yeter, TIP Istanbul Provincial Chair and Party Council Member, spoke about their efforts to deliver essentials like tents, containers, food, clothing, and medicine to the earthquake zone. "What was the ruling power doing at those moments? In Hatay, they were having the call to prayer recited from mosques!" Yeter said.
Other defendants also stated they were unaware of the prohibition decision by the Kadıköy District Governorship, were detained without any warning by the police, and were subjected to torture.
"Those who said 'don't sell the tents' are being tried, not a single responsible party"
After a break, the trial resumed with the lawyers' defenses. Lawyer Özgür Urfa emphasized that in the year since the earthquake, not a single responsible party had been tried. "We see that those who committed the crime of selling tents are not being tried, but those who said 'don't sell the tents' are. The truth is being hidden. Not a single public official has been tried, and the number of contractors on trial is around 100. The number of defendants who said 'don't sell the tents' is 87. This is the summary of justice in Turkey," Urfa stated.
Lawyer Zübeyde Arslan added, "All the defendants were immediately surrounded when they arrived at the location for the press statement. They were encircled by the police several times and were not allowed out of the circle. Lawyers couldn't leave the police circle despite stating they were performing their duties. The indictment claims the defendants insisted on not dispersing, but it's unclear how and why this was stated. In short, the legal elements required for the crime under Article 32/1 to be established are not present."
After a six-hour hearing, the court rejected the lawyers' requests for immediate acquittal and postponed the trial to September 11, 2024, at 10:30 AM, awaiting the expert report.
