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Ahead of the first “Kobani case” hearing on 26 April, 1,200 lawyers have applied to participate in the case for the defence.
The first hearing of the case, which includes former Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) co-chairs Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ among its 108 defendants, will be held in the 22nd Heavy Penal Court in Ankara, Turkey.
The HDP will reportedly transport people who want to watch the hearing.
Meanwhie, the names of the foreign delegations who want to follow the hearing have also been announced.
11 foreign committees
The names of the foreign delegations that will attend the hearing are as follows: The Social Democratic Party of Sweden and the Democratic Party of Italy in the European Parliament’s Socialists and Democrats Group, the European Free Alliance of the European Parliament, the French Peoples and Regions Solidarity Party in the Greens Group, the National Bloc of Galicia (BNG), as part of Progressive Internationalists, Greece MeRA25 Party and Polish Left Party, French Left Party, Catalan Republican Left Party, Catalonia People’s Union Party (CUP), United Basque Party.
1,200 lawyers apply to defend
The HDP prepares for the case to reveal the hostile policies against Kurds in Turkey. As many as 1,200 lawyers have presented their licences to the court to participate in the defence. Several more lawyers will observe the hearing. Jurists for Justice, Lawyers’ Solidarity, Çağdaş Hukukçular Derneği (Contemporary Lawyers’ Association), Contemporary Lawyers’ Group, Jurists For Democracy, Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD) are among the organisations that will watch the case. In addition, Bar Associations of İzmir, Diyarbakır (Amed), Van (Wan), Şırnak (Şirnex), Urfa (Riha), Tunceli (Dersim), Hakkari (Colemerg), Ağrı (Agiri), Bursa, Mardin (Merdin) will attend the case.
Actions in 30 different countries will campaign for solidarity with the HDP and seek to encourage support for Kobani.
Reports to be prepared
Opposition parties and trade unions, human rights organisations and representatives of civil society organisations will also participate. The HDP Law Commission invited some bar associations and human rights organisations to observe and report on the case. On the first day of the trial, HDP co-chairs and the HDP Parliamentary Group will be present at the hearing, and in the following days the majority of the HDP Parliamentary Group will take part in proceedings. Delegations alongside the HDP co-chairs are expected to make a statement regarding the hearing. HDP Ankara provincial and district organisations and the families of the detainees will attend the hearing.
