TJA activist Sevil Rojbin Çetin remains in prison

The hearing of the lawsuit filed against Tevgera Jinên Azad (TJA) activist and Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Democratic Local Administration Board member Sevil Rojbin Çetin on the allegation of “membership in a terrorist organization” was held at Van 2nd High Criminal Court.

Çetin attended the hearing via the Audio and Visual Information System (SEGBİS) from Diyarbakır Women’s Closed Prison, where she is detained. The hearing was attended by her lawyer and family and was followed by HDP Van MP Muazzez Orhan, as well as Tusba Municipality co-mayor Ayşe Minaz, who was replaced by a state-appointed trustee.

Hearing postopned

Çetin repeated her statements, while her lawyers said that she should be released. The court board decided to continue to keep Çetin in prison on the grounds that the secret witnesses did not attend the hearing. The trial was postponed to 12 May.

Rojbin Çetin was detained in a raid on his house in Diyarbakır on 26 June 2020, the Day of Combating Torture and Solidarity with Torture Victims, as part of an investigation launched by the Mardin Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. During the arrest she was tortured with a dog. in Çetin’s detention was extended three times. She was arrested on charges of “being a member of a terrorist organization” after 11 days in custody.