The Kobane case, involving the trial of Kurdish politicians, including former co-chairs of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Figen Yüksekdağ and Selahattin Demirtaş, resumed on Wednesday in Ankara, Turkey. The defence lawyer, Atilla Bahçıvan, issued a warning, saying, “If this file goes to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), half of the judges will have a heart attack.”
Bahçıvan’s comment highlights the numerous legal irregularities and controversies in the investigation and prosecution stages. He accused the judge of lacking neutrality and criticised the proceedings as contrary to law. “The judge’s actions were not neutral, and the trial began without proper identification,” he said.
Adding to the controversy surrounding the case is the previous head of the court, Bahtiyar Çolak, who was found to be a leader of a criminal gang. Bahçıvan demanded the reversal of all of Çolak’s actions but was denied. His warning about the potential scandal if the case reaches the ECHR has drawn attention to the broader implications of the case.
Bahçıvan also drew attention to specific issues such as the concealment of a secret witness, the lack of attention to HTS records, and the political nature of the case. He expressed his belief that the case would enter the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) literature.