ANKARA - "I am a Kurd, I am a Kurdish woman" said Kurdish politician Gültan Kışanak, and continued, "Don't look for other words to define me. You declare me 'seperatist', 'terrorist'. We are giving you a chance to get out of this embarrassing situation that you will feel shame when the facts in history are clarified."

 

Taking the floor at today’s hearing in the Kobanî trial, jailed politician Gültan Kışanak said, “On June 7, we showed that a hope was possible in Turkey and different identities could do politics side by side. A political coup was triggered immediately.”

 

The third hearing of the "Kobanî trial" began at the Ankara 22nd Heavy Penal Court in Sincan Campus today (May 20).

 

There are 108 defendants from the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP); while 28 people have been arrested pending trial, there are judicial control measures on six and warrants against 75 people.

 

I REJECT EVERY SINGLE MEMBER OF THIS COURT BOARD

 

Today's hearing was followed by HDP Co-Chair Mithat Sancar, Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Co-Chairs, Democratic Society Congress (DTK) Co-Spokespersons and several bar association chairs.

 

Adjourned on May 18, the hearing continued today first with the statement of Ayla Akat Ata. She briefly said the following:

 

"Today, in the world, fascism has come down to populist regimes. As is the case in several parts of the world, this populist regime has risen in Turkey and we are now struggling against this regime.

 

"What is attempted to be put on trial here is not us personally, but the set of thoughts of the HDP. The people lined behind me are all the otherized people. I reject every single member of the court board."

 

YOU HAVE BECOME THE GOVERNMENT'S TOY

 

Taking the floor afterwards, Gültan Kışanak said:

 

"This case is a case of removing us from the democratic politics, from the Parliament. (Referring to the court board) You are catering to this. Don't engage in demagoguery here by interrupting our speeches and saying, 'I wish you had spoken at the Parliament.

 

"Today, what the judiciary is going through is a great structural crisis. The judiciary has become a plaything of the government. Corruption, shamelessness and mafiatic relations are covered up. But people are arrested for posting a single tweet.

 

"Since this trial began, you have given two decisions about our arrest. Two of the news cited in the decision about me are the statements of our Co-Chairs when I was in detention. Three of them were made by our party members when I was arrested. The remaining five news stories are the same. Here, the indictment and decisions are such filled-up texts. They apparently wrote Gültan Kışanak on the Internet and added whatever they found.

 

"On June 7, we showed that a hope was possible in Turkey and that different identities could do politics side by side. A political coup was triggered immediately. Since then, they have been troubling the HDP.