The third hearing in the trial of Cevdet Konak, the dismissed co-mayor of Dersim Municipality, was held at the Tunceli 2nd High Criminal Court. Konak is being prosecuted on charges of "terrorist propaganda." The court decided to inquire about the status of an additional investigation against him related to a speech he made after his removal from office and postponed the trial.
Political representatives attended the hearing
The hearing was attended by Konak and his lawyer, Kenan Çetin, as well as Emek Party leader Seyit Aslan, representatives from the People's Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) and the Emek Party's Dersim branch, and journalist Fatih Polat from Evrensel newspaper.
The court panel asked Konak and his lawyer for their statements regarding the case. Both reiterated their previous defense statements, requested that procedural deficiencies in the case file be addressed, and asked for Konak to be exempted from attending future hearings.
Court to inquire about additional investigation
In the prosecution’s final opinion, the prosecutor requested information on the status of an investigation launched against Konak over a speech he made following the government's appointment of a trustee to replace him. The court accepted this request and decided to inquire about the status of the investigation. Additionally, the court ruled that Konak would be exempt from attending future hearings.
The trial has been adjourned to May 13, 2025.
Background
Cevdet Konak was removed from office after the March 31 municipal elections, and a government-appointed trustee took over the municipality. A criminal investigation was launched against him over his campaign speeches, in which he referenced "the revolutionary leaders of the '68 generation," stated that "Kurdistan is Dersim, Dersim is Kurdistan," and used the phrase "martyr families." He was also accused of making terrorist propaganda for commemorating Sakine Cansız and Mazlum Doğan, both figures associated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union.
