Courts refuses halt of trials in KCK, military espionage cases

ISTANBUL

Some 46 people, 19 of them under arrest, are being tried in the press case of the KCK, the alleged urban wing of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). DHA photo

Lawyers demanded the halt of trials in two separate cases, the outlawed Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) case and the army spying case, on the grounds that specially authorized courts should not try these cases. Both courts refused the requests. 

Sinan Zincir, lawyer of all of the 46 suspects being tried with charges of being “press committee members” of the KCK, said they demand the recusation and stop the trials, Anadolu Agency reported. 
Istanbul’s Silivri 15th High Criminal Court, however, refused the lawyer’s demand for recusation on the ground that it is unlawful. 

Press case 

Some 46 people, 19 of them under arrest, are being tried in the press case of the KCK, an urban wing of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

Zincir said courts with special authorities are illegal and the trial should cease immediately. He also demanded to have a meeting with the suspects. The court rejected the demand to meet with the suspects and postponed the trial to today. The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy Mustafa Balbay attended the trial. 

In a separate case held in İzmir in which 357 suspects, including military officers, are being tried for allegedly being involved in spying activities, the lawyers demanded the of the trials on the ground that an adviser to the prime minister recently claimed the military was being plotted by some groups. However, the court refused to halt the trials.

Meanwhile, another KCK trial held in Diyarbakır yesterday in which 175 suspects, 94 of whom under arrest, are being tried with charges of being members of the KCK. 

The court postponed the case after one of the suspects closed the microphone while the joint demands of the suspects were being read.