Kemal Seven's Defense at the so-called 'KCK' trials

ARTICLE as it appeared in Yuksekova News 'The Voice from Hakkari' and also ODATV on September 12th. The English Translation is Mine

Logic from Judge Ali Alçın--the terrorists most deadly tool, the planner!

The Istanbul ‘KCK’ trial put off until tomorrow

The main trial of 205 human rights activists and Kurdish politicians, 95 of whom remain incarcerated without bail, has been adjourned off until tomorrow.

 

Istanbul’s ‘KCK’ trial of 205 human rights activists and Kurdish politicians, 95 of whom remain incarcerated without bail, continued today at Silivri at the 15th Criminal Court located across from the Silivri Penal Institution with the defense of prisoner Kemal Seven,  an educator at one of the BDP’s political academies. At the start of his defense, Seven indicated that he wanted to make a change in the statement he gave the prosecutor. ‘In my statement, It seems I said that I was a member of the Peace and Democracy Party (The BDP). At the time (of my arrest), I was not yet a party member but merely working there. I want this corrected.’ Seven went on to discuss the additional files attached to the indictment prepared against him, specifically a segment regarding his telephone on which the numbers of Abdulkadir Akdağ and Nural Doğan appear*. He asked why this was added to the indictment as evidence of a crime. ‘These people are members and workers of the BDP party. Since I am also a member and worker of the BDP party, isn’t it normal to find their numbers on my phone?’ In regards to his trips overseas which were spun as evidence of links with out-of-country PKK and KCK members, he said ‘In 2003, I went to Germany to visit my brother who had been arrested. As for 2010, I went then to marry my brother off. In any case, millions of people leave the country every day and that’s not a crime, but when a Kurd does it, it’s a crime? Seeing any logic in this is a strain, really.’

Also, Seven discussed a text message sent to him by the Kurdish Institute, in Kurdish, with the words

'The message stated,' he explained, '‘The history lesson will be given at 1:00PM’. ‘Then in the attached files the prosecutor makes this comment, ‘Placing men in the PKK Kongra Gel (guerillas)’. Where this came from I cannot understand. It’s shocking how you can extract that from what was said.’

In another message sent by the Institute are the words ‘Tonight there is no taking watch at the tent. TZP Kurdistan.’

‘First of all,’ Seven said, ‘This message was not just sent out to me, but to all members of the Institute. At the same time, it is attempted to show that this ‘keeping watch’ was somehow my watch to keep. There was nothing of the kind. Moreover the word ‘TZ Kurdi’* is explained as TZP Kurdistan. This reveals the level of ‘seriousness’ with which this indictment was prepared.’ After Seven requested to be released, the court moved on to the files of evidence.

First, head judge Ali Alçık asked if Seven had attended a rally in 2011 for Peace Day on September 1st. Seven said that indeed he had and that this had been a democratic action. Alçık went on to say, ‘On several CDs found in your house were lists of addresses. What do you say to that?’ (By the way, one of these lists was our wedding invitations) ‘You’ll also find Cemil Çiçek’s internet address, too. (He’s the AKP speaker of parliament.) It’s a rather normal thing.’ Alçın went on ‘We also found pictures of you with Gültan Kışanak and Sebahat Tüncel (two BDP members of parliament), what do you say to that?’ Seven answered, ‘These were photos taken at the opening of the BDP academy. I have a lot of photos like this.’

Using Judge Ali Alçın and friends' logic--Oprah is a terrorist for appearing with an elected official
 

 

The Prosecutor Ismail İsık (who never speaks by the way) said, ‘A planner was found at your house in which the sentence was written ‘the state will either accept the leadership or a revolutionary people’s war.’ This so-called ‘leadership’ you mention—to what does it refer?’

‘This is a quote I took from a press statement and noted down.’ Seven answered. ‘As for who the ‘leadership’ referred to his, Mr. Öcalan is meant.’

After the presentation of the evidence, the court committee once again asked the incarcerated prisoners to give their defense, calling each one by name. When they answered, ‘Ez ne amede me’ (I am not ready in Kurdish) the floor was given to publisher Ragip Zarakolu, tried on bail (and thus out of prison). When he said he was not ready either, the court announced that seeing as the defendants are not ready to make their defense, the court would be adjourned until tomorrow.

*note, the defendants presented a list to the court. The list contained names in order the order that they wanted to give testimony. When the court rejected this and imposed its own order, the defendants protested by saying ‘I’m not ready.’

*TZP Kurdi (NOT Kurdistan, which, at the time this indictment was prepared was a taboo word) stands for Tevgera Ziman û Perwerdehiya Kurdî (TZPKurdî) which means ‘The Movement for Education in the Kurdish Language’—a Kurdish group dedicted to establishing education in their mother tongue.

*Nural Doğan is the vice chairman of the Istanbul province of the BDP. Abdulkadir Akdağ was the party chairman of the Fatih District (of Istanbul)—both arrested at the time of my father in law’s arrest.