June 27, 2013

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey’s Kurdish region,— Diyarbakir 6th High Criminal Court sentenced nine defendants in the KCK (Kurdish Communities Union) Eruh trial to a total of 105 years and 8 months in prison, as well as 74,880 TL pecuniary penalty. The trial of nine defendants has been going on since 2010.

The court sentenced each of the nine defendants to six years and three months in prison for allegedly “committing a crime on behalf of an illegal organization that they are not members to”, three years for “possessing hazardous material”, two years and six months for “damaging public property”. Each of the defendants was also imposed a pecuniary penalty of 8,320 TL.

On the other hand, of 23 people who have been tried in the scope of the KCK Batman trial, eight were released following the first hearing at Diyarbakir 8th High Criminal Court on Tuesday.

The KCK is a clandestine group suspected of being the political wing of the armed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Turkish authorities accuse the KCK of wanting to promote insurrection in Turkey’s Kurdish region (Northern Kurdistan).

Among the defendants, of whom 19 have been remanded in custody, are also students and members of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP). Defendants were able to give their testimonies in Kurdish as the court provided Kurdish interpreters.

The next hearing has been set for 10 September.

The KCK-trial began on October 18, 2010 when a Turkish court began the trial of 152 high profile Kurdish politicians and rights defenders, accused of being the urban wing of the outlawed separatist Kurdish PKK rebels.

Over 7748 people were taken into custody and over 3895 persons were arrested in the scope of KCK operations during the past nine months,www.ekurd.net the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party announced. Dozens of BDP executives and employees are still in prison.

Source Ekurd.net