Tuncel on Kobani Trial: AKP/MHP government is responsible for Izmir attack

The third hearing of the ‘Kobanê Trial’ in which 108 people 24 of whom are arrested stand trial has marked its 5th day. Many people, as well as HDP deputies, are following the hearing in the Ankara 22nd High Criminal Court in the Sincan Prison Campus Hall.

Of the defendants, HDP’s former co-chair Figen Yüksekdağ, who remains in jail, Amed Metropolitan Municipality former co-mayor Gültan Kışanak, former co-chair of the Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Emine Ayna and HDP former central executive committee (MYK) member Zeynep Ölbeci attended the hearing through sound and video information system (SEGBİS) from the prisons where they are held. HDP former MYK members Can Memiş, Cihan Erdal and Berfin Özgü Köse, who were released on the second day of the hearing, and İmralı Delegation Spokesperson Sırrı Süreyya Önder, who is tried without arrest, also participated in the hearing through SEGBİS from Istanbul.

HDP’s former co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş, HDP former MP Gülser Yıldırım and Aysel Tuğluk did not attend the hearing, citing excuses. Kars Municipality former co-mayor Ayhan Bilgen, who has been released in the last session, and Ahmet Türk, Gülfer Akkaya and Altan Tan, who are tried without arrest, did not attend the hearing citing excuses.

DBP former co-chair Sebahat Tuncel who is jailed pending trial, former MP Ayla Akat Ata, HDP former spokesperson Günay Kubilay, HDP Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) member Ali Ürküt, former deputy Emine Beyza Üstün, İbrahim Binici, HDP Foreign Relations Committee member Nazmi Gür, HDP new term MYK member Alp Altınörs, Meryem Adıbelli, HDP former treasurer Zeki Çelik, HDP former MYK members Pervin Oduncu, Ayşe Yağcı, Bircan Yorulmaz, Bülent Parmaksiz, İsmail Şengül, Dilek Yağız and Sibel Akdeniz were also present in the courtroom.

 ‘GOVERNMENT IS RESPONSIBLE’

Sebahat Tuncel addressed the attack on the party headquarter in İzmir yesterday. “We witnessed a terrible political murder,” she said. Commemorating Deniz Poyraz who lost her life during the attack, Tuncel said, “We know that this is not the first time. We want political murders to end. We offer our condolences to Deniz’s family, our party, peoples of Turkey and the Kurdish people.”

“The assailant easily enters our headquarter under polis surveillance and commits a massacre. A meeting of 40 people had been scheduled for that day. If this meeting had not been cancelled, we would be talking about the murder of more people now. All of these are the outcome of Kurdish hostility. The rulers of this country, especially the People’s Alliance, call Kurds “terrorists” whenever they make speeches. Pro-government politicians keep blaming HDP MPs. Those who attempt to close our party and call for a sit-in in front of our headquarter are responsible for this attack.”

CALL UPON THE OPPOSITION: DON’T PLAY INTO GOVERNMENT’S HAND!

Referring to the political parties’ statements that condemned the attack in İzmir, Tuncel continued, “If they are upset because of the incident, they should give up their racist, religious and nationalist rhetoric, and most importantly, the anti-Kurdish policies should be abandoned. Those responsible for this massacre are those who ended the peace process. Mob leader Sedat Peker claims that ‘more attacks could follow’. There is obviously an organization. What needs to be done is the democratization of Turkey, otherwise it will play into the hands of those who want to initiate a civil war. It is not a coincidence that the HDP and Alevi organizations are attacked currently. They want to make us forget. But we don’t forget. They cut the throats of our friends in our HDP headquarter in Ankara using ISIS methods.”

Pointing to the provocation carried out by a group during the hearing the day before, Tuncel continued, “The assailant was trained by SADAT. He took pictures with guns. Has a prosecutor in this country taken an action and probed into it? But the Kurds have been on trial for months for sharing their feelings and criticizing the AKP policies. This is a politics that divides peoples. The AKP makes people pay a huge price to live in this country. It also damages the fraternity of the peoples. Gangs are killing our politicians and prosecutors are doing nothing. Has anyone carried out a single investigation? They keep saying that attacks on our party headquarters are carried out by drunks or thieves! However, these are organized attacks.”

Tuncel emphasized that the attack on the HDP office was carried out by a ‘racist and nationalist organized state’. “We will seek justice. We will not forget this attack. Something should be done for democracy and the policy of impunity should be ended in order for the murderers of Deniz Poyraz to be exposed. We offer our condolences to the Kurdish and Turkish people. I wish we just didn’t have to give a speech like this.”

Tuncel ended her speech by chanting the slogan “Jin, jiyan, azadi” (Woman, life, freedom). Along with Tuncel, other female politicians in the courtroom chanted the same slogan.