Prominent Kurdish political figures Sebahat Tuncel and Gültan Kışanak were released from Turkey’s Sincan Women’s Closed Prison on Thursday, promising to continue their struggle for justice and Kurdish rights.
Tuncel, Kışanak and other political prisoners were met with slogans, cheers and applause by supporters, including members of Tevgera Jinên Azad (TJA), the solidarity group MEBYA-DER and the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party. Tuncel described the Kobani (Kobanê) trial in connection with which the women had been imprisoned as a “revenge trial” against the Kurds, criticising the ruling as another instance of justice being undermined. “Justice has not been served at all. On the contrary, justice has once again been murdered with this case,” she stated.
Kışanak, a former mayor of Diyarbakır (Amed), was sentenced to 12 years but was released having already having served seven and a half years on remand. She spoke of the need for true freedom and peace in Turkey. “What we actually need is not release but freedom and peace,” Kışanak said, calling for a country where “women are free, peoples are free, beliefs are not a problem, identities are not a problem and languages are not a problem”.
Tuncel emphasised that the release of the prisoners does not signify the end of their fight. “As long as there is resistance, as long as there is struggle, there is hope. We will continue the fight until our comrades are also free,” she affirmed. The political prisoners then proceeded to the DEM Party Headquarters, where they were greeted by more supporters.
Kışanak further highlighted the broader context of their struggle, stating, “The issue is not about winning a case or being released. The issue is about creating an environment where the problems of this country can be solved… In a place where there is no law, justice or peace, unfortunately, none of us can fully experience freedom.”
The eight-year-long Kobani trial has seen numerous Kurdish politicians, including former Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) co-chairs Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ, imprisoned since 2016. On 16 May, a panel of judges reached a decision in the case, handing out severe sentences.
Demirtaş was sentenced to a total of 42 years in prison on various charges, including “disrupting the unity and integrity of the state” and “inciting an offence”. Yüksekdağ was sentenced to 32 years and 9 months, while other politicians, such as Gültan Kışanak and Sebahat Tuncel, were also handed lengthy prison terms.
The trial, widely criticised as an attempt to stifle democracy and Kurdish political movements in Turkey, relates to the 2014 Kobani protests against ISIS’s siege of the Syrian city and the Turkish government’s refusal to aid the population there. This prosecution, seen as a significant aspect of the Turkish state’s strategy to shut down the HDP, has drawn international condemnation for its perceived political motivation and harsh penalties against Kurdish politicians.
