ANKARA - Continuing her statements on the Kobanê Case, Gültan Kışanak said: "I call out to the Turkish society; if we remain silent today, there will be no ground to talk about tomorrow. If we remain silent about these conspiracy cases, we will not be able to raise our voice against other conspiracies. Now is the time to be brave."

 

A lawsuit was filed against 108 people, 18 of whom were imprisoned, including the former Co-Chairs of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) and members of the Central Executive Board (MYK), citing the protest actions that took place on 6-8 October 2014 against ISIS's attacks on Kobanê. The Kobanê Case continues in the hall of Sincan Prison Campus with the defense of former Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality (DBB) Co-chair Gültan Kışanak.

 

While the prisoners in Sincan Prison, Sebahat Tuncel, Nazmi Gür and Bülent Parmaksız were present in the courtroom, some of the politicians were attended via Audio Video and Information System (SEGBİS). While former HDP Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş, who is in Edirne Prison, was attended to the hearing via Audio Video and Information System (SEGBİS), Gültan Kışanak, who is in Kandıra Prison, was also connected to the hearing via SEGBİS. Lawyers from the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD) and many people watched the hearing.

 

The trial started with Kışanak's defense. Kışanak, who started her speech by stating that the People's Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) entered the primary election by fulfilling an important democratic requirement, noted that the local elections will be elections in which conspiracy cases will be exposed and the people will fulfill their duty.

 

Stating that the people did not accept the Kobanê Conspiracy Case and expressed their will in all subsequent elections, Kışanak said: “This is an issue that you should take into consideration in terms of the decision you will make. We have been fighting against our political opponents against the mechanism called judiciary for years. We expose their lies, and because our people know this, they show their political will in the elections. As the judiciary, you will also have your signature under this decision and history will judge you based on these signatures. Will you stand with those who stage a coup against the will of the people, or will you stand with those who say, 'you cannot stage a coup'?" 

 

THE INDICTMENT WAS PREPARED 11 DAYS AFTER I WAS ARRESTED

 

Referring to the accusations against those tried within the scope of the case, Kışanak said: “This case is a political case, all the allegations made against me and our other friends in this case are political activities, press releases, rally speeches and statements. Let the public know this clearly, there is no blame other than our own political thoughts and political activities. This case is a conspiracy case, my arrest in 2016 and the investigation that was given as a reason to seize the DBB are all a conspiracy. Which prosecutor prepares an indictment after 11 days? There is not a single document of the allegations in that indictment, they are police reports based on lies created by the coup plotters."

 

THERE IS THE REALITY OF KURDS AND KURDISTAN

 

In the opinion of the prosecutor defined 'ethnic terrorism' and said 'ethnic terrorism has two reasons'. Is it the prosecutor who decides whether this is right for Turkey, for us, for the Kurds? The prosecutor says that there is no precedent in history of the Kurds and that some people are using this as an excuse. Those who wrote this opinion and continue this trial accept this; 'PKK is not a cause, they are the results.' Kurds have a language, Kurdish, a geography, its name is Kurdistan. There is the reality of the Kurds and Kurdistan. The Kurds are an ancient people of these lands. It is a fact that the Kurds do not use their native language and identity. Kurdistan and Kurdish issues are being discussed day and night in the Parliament, just ahead of where you sit. The other day, our Diyarbakır Deputy Mehmet Kamaç said, 'I speak Turkish here, but my mother does not understand.' An elected representative went to the Parliament, but his mother did not understand what he said. Isn't that a problem for you? Put yourself in the shoes of the Kurds, you went to the parliament, but your mother, wife, brother and villager do not understand you. Because they don’t know the language, isn't that unfair? Therefore, these are not so-called reasons, but real reasons. It is a fact and fact that the Kurds exist, that there is a geography called Kurdistan, that the Kurds are an ancient people living in this geography, and that the system in this country does not adequately cover them and that they do not have the right to their native language.

 

ERDOĞAN WAS BLAMED CHP, NOW HE DOES IT HIMSELF

 

All aspects were discussed and discussed in the commission we established in the parliament during the solution process, but this is a choice. It was a choice to pretend that these truths did not exist and to present them as 'terrorists'. Politics in Turkey is boneless, today they forget what they said yesterday. In 2011, Erdoğan apologized for what happened in Dersim and asked Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu to apologize as well. He disclosed seven important documents.

 

Erdoğan wanted to gain political profit by pressuring CHP and Kılıçdaroğlu. Erdoğan says, 'You committed this oppression against the Kurds' against the CHP but writes about the same oppression. One day someone will come and tell you these things, why don't you think about it? What would happen today if we said these? We are accused of commemorating a faith leader, Seyid Rıza, but Erdoğan talked about these things in 2011. This is what we mean when we say politics in Turkey is boneless. They magnified the Kurdish issue by using it as a political tool. Who will apologize on behalf of Erdoğan today?

 

WE PRESENT THE SOLUTION IN 10 ARTICLES

 

The collapse plan will be revealed, and what democratic politics has become, step by step, will be revealed. We say let's start somewhere. Building peace is a process. It's not something that will happen immediately, but let's start somewhere. The place to start is to remove the obstacles to democracy and eliminate conspiracy cases. There is nothing we cannot solve, if we are sincere. In 10 articles, we reveal how the Kurdish issue will be solved and there is a will. We all made an effort during the self-government process in 2015. If they had wanted to solve that issue, this issue would not have continued like this. There were no people with missiles there. If politics had put its weight behind it and the government had come to negotiations with us, we could have ended this situation. There was no need for these cities to be destroyed. It is not a coincidence that the commanders are coup plotters. They knowingly and willingly escalated the events. We wish we had stood firm with the government and the opposition, but we couldn't. We are being tried because we believe in the government's rhetoric of 'I want to solve it', the immunity of being a member of parliament does not protect the Kurds and freedom of thought and expression does not protect us. Aren't we citizens of this country? If we are not, say, 'You are not a citizen, you do not have the right to organize, you do not have the right to be a mayor or a member of parliament.'

 

The hearing was adjourned.