Deniz Poyraz case: Murderers will be brought to account

The first hearing of the trial against Onur Gencer who murdered Deniz Poyraz in an armed attack on the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) İzmir headquarter on 17 June, is being held at the İzmir 6th High Criminal Court today.

Hundreds of people came to the Izmir Courthouse in the morning hours and demanded that those behind the murderer be revealed. Lawyers and hundreds of people were kept waiting in front of the courtroom on the grounds that it was not ready for the hearing. Lawyers waiting to enter the courtroom had a row with policemen at times.

The following individuals are monitoring the hearing: Deniz Poyraz’s mother Fehime Poyraz and father Abdülilah Poyraz, HDP co-chair Pervin Buldan, HDP group deputy chairs, deputies, central executive board (MYK) members and administrators of the HDP, Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy chair Gülizar Biçer Karaca, CHP deputies, members of the Turkey’s Workers’ Party (TIP), Danish deputies Lars Aslan Rasmussen, Soren Sondergaard, representatives of institutions and women’s organizations from various provinces and districts, more than 500 lawyers and hundreds of people, artists and intellectuals.

Due to the small size of the courtroom, numerous lawyers and people were not allowed to attend the hearing, which was then moved to the 13th High Criminal Court. The HDP and its components, women’s organizations and several bar associations requested to involve in the case separately.

Murderer Onur Gencer was present at the hearing which started with identification. An aggravated life imprisonment and up to 7 years in prison is sought for Gencer on charges of “deliberate killing”, “violating workplace immunity” and “damaging the building, facility or property used by political parties or professional organizations”.

The lawyers reacted to a police officer who started to shoot a video during the identification. The video was deleted after the lawyers’ reaction.

While identification continued, murderer Gencer left the courtroom to go to the toilet, accompanied by the gendarmerie. When Gencer laughed and verbally assaulted the complainants, they replied “Why are you so comfortable, murderer”, after which a quarrel erupted. The people in the courtroom shouted together the slogan “the murderers will account before the public” as a reaction.

HDP Group Deputy Chairperson Meral Danış Beştaş criticized that the family was seated too close to the murderer and that he passed near the Poyraz family while going out. After the reaction of the people in the courtroom, what happened was recorded in the trial records and the presiding judge stated that the court would ensure that the murderer use another door for entrance and exit.