Çiçek Kobanê (Dozgin Temo) was captured and arrested by jihadist mercenaries during a military operation in Eyn İsa.
The Turkish government launched a military operation against the city of Eyn İsa, in North and East Syria, on 21 September 2019. Turkey used jihadist mercenaries such as the National Syria Army (SNA) (or Free Syrian Army) during the operation. Kobanê, a member of the Women’s Defence Units (YPJ), was captured in the village of Mishrefa in October of last year.
Following her capture, the Raqqa-born Kurdish woman from Kobanê was deported across the border into Turkish territory. Since then she has been held on remand in a high-security prison in Urfa and has been tried in Turkish courts.
The trial against Kobanê continued on Thursday at the 5th High Penal Court in the province of ŞanlıUrfa (Riha) in Turkey. She has been accused of disrupting the unity and integrity of the state, membership of an armed terrorist organisation and attempted murder.
Kobanê was brought to the hearing from the Urfa T-Type Prison number two, where she is detained, and her lawyer was present in the courtroom.
Kobanê, who made a defence with the help of a Kurdish interpreter, said that she was a YPJ fighter, did not participate in any armed conflict, and was shot in the foot after being caught.
Kobanê’s lawyer Hidayet Enmek said that the FSA (Free Syrian Army) carried out the arrest and that the organisation did not have the authority to arrest anyone. According to Hidayet, it was not legal according to the terms of the CMK (Turkish Code of Criminal Procedure).
The prosecutor demanded an aggravated life sentence for Kobanê. The court ruled for the continuation of her detention and postponed the hearing to 24 November.