The second hearing in the trial against deposed mayor Selçuk Mızraklı was held at the 9th Heavy Penal Court in Diyarbakir. Mızraklı, who had worked as a doctor until his election as co-mayor of the Kurdish metropolis Amed in March 2019, was deposed by the Turkish Ministry of the Interior on August 19 and imprisoned in October. He is accused of being a member of a terrorist organization, for which he faces up to 15 years imprisonment. The charges are based on the statements of confessor Hicran Berna Ayverdi, who benefited from the Turkish law of repentance and has since been released from prison.

 

Mızraklı, in prison in the Kayseri province in Central Anatolia, 700 kilometers away from Diyarbakır, attended his own trial via the video conferencing system SEGBIS. He was represented by his lawyers Zülal Erdoğan, Mehmet Emin Aktar, Cihan Aydın and Muhsin Bilal at Monday’s hearing.

 

The hearing was observed by numerous politicians and representatives from Germany and abroad. Among those attending the trial were Paul Amann from the German Embassy, Rebecca Daffing from the US Consulate in Adana, members of an EU delegation, as well as representatives of Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the Turkish Medical Association.

 

The lawyers argued in court that the charges were based on "trumped up evidence". The defendant himself stated: "I understood that I was confronted with a pre-trial decision when I looked at the investigation file. I will no longer participate in the hearings via SEGBIS as this practice is unlawful. My right to vote and stand for election has been abolished.”

 

The Court ordered continuation of detention and adjourned the hearing until 9 March. The trial observers were subsequently prevented by the police from making a statement outside the court building. A decision by the governor's office to prohibit them was quoted as justification.