Duygu Kıt
The trial of Cevdet Konak, the co-mayor of Dersim Municipality who was removed from office and replaced by a government-appointed trustee, has begun. Konak is facing charges related to speeches he delivered and statements he made to the press. The court has requested the case file of an investigation launched against him over remarks he made after being removed from office.
The second hearing of the case, in which Konak is being tried for "making terrorist propaganda" based on speeches he gave during the local election campaign, was held at the Tunceli 2nd High Criminal Court.
Konak attended the hearing alongside his lawyers, Fatma Kalsen and Kenan Çetin. The proceedings were also observed by Birsen Orhan, the current government-appointed trustee of Dersim Municipality, and members of the pro-Kurdish DEM Party’s local branch in Dersim.
Charges and defense
The charges against Konak cite several of his statements, including references to revolutionary figures of the 1968 generation at a DEM Party public gathering, his remarks that "Kurdistan is Dersim, Dersim is Kurdistan," and his mention of figures such as Sakine Cansız and Mazlum Doğan, both of whom were affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
In his defense, Konak rejected the accusations, arguing that he was exercising his constitutional right to freedom of thought and expression.
‘170 people were killed in my village’
Regarding his statement that "Dersim is Kurdistan, Kurdistan is Dersim," Konak stated:
"I used the term 'Kurdistan' in a geographical sense, not a political one. The term has been historically used by both Seljuk sultans and Ottoman sultans as a geographical designation. My intention was geographical. When I spoke about the 'key to Dersim,' I was referring to the Persian meaning of 'Dersim'—which translates to 'silver gate.' This phrase was originally said by a father who lost his entire family in the 1938 massacre. His pain is still remembered. When I spoke of the 'key to the mountains,' this is what I meant."
When the presiding judge asked about the phrase "değer aileleri" (meaning "families of value"), which was among the statements cited in the indictment, Konak explained:
"My family suffered a great trauma. In November 2011, then-Prime Minister Erdoğan himself acknowledged that countless people had been killed. In my village, 170 people were killed, and the survivors were forcibly displaced. When I spoke about 'families of value,' I was referring to the families affected by the massacres of 1937-38. For us, any family that advocates for peaceful coexistence of all identities is a family of value. I did not mean anything else."
Lawyers argue for acquittal
Konak’s lawyers argued that the statements in the indictment fell under the scope of freedom of expression and were not made on behalf of any organization.
"It has been nearly a century since 1938, and yet statements referring to geography are still being criminalized. This is an attack on democratic society. According to the precedents set by the Court of Cassation and the Constitutional Court, the only decisive factor should be incitement to violence. Our client has never engaged in hate speech or incited violence. The alleged crime does not apply to his actions. These statements are merely expressions of thought. We demand an immediate acquittal."
Prosecutor requests additional case file
The prosecution requested that the court inquire about the status of a separate investigation launched against Konak for a speech he made after a trustee was appointed to Dersim Municipality and suggested merging that case with the current one.
The court ruled to request the case file from the Tunceli Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and adjourned the trial until March 18, 2025.
