Second Hearing of the Peace Defenders Will be Held in November 30th
Ayşe Çelik (30) a school teacher who defended peace and people to live and 38 intelectuals who supported her will be trailed in İstanbul on October the 39th. This will be the second hearing of the trial.
On the 8th of January 2016, a school teacher named Ayşe Çelik called up from Diyarbakir (Southeast Turkey) and got on the air during a popular talk show, to plead for an end to the “deaths of men, women and children…so that mothers should not cry.” “What is going on here,” she said, “is being distorted and not being faithfully reported on your television screens.” She urged the audience not to remain silent. She was persecuted and now is on trial, being accused of carrying out “terrorist propaganda” on behalf of PKK, which is a prison term between a year and 5 years.
38 intellectuals supported her with a declaration which was:
‘’On the 13th of January 2016, we the undersigned, declared ourselves to be “accomplices of Ayşe Çelik in this crime, if her words indeed constitute a crime,” and now stand trial under the same charges.
We believe that saying “children should not thirst or go hungry”
is to defend the most fundamental right, the right to live, and to stand up for the most basic human values, life and peace; it can not be construed as “terrorist propaganda.” Such claims run contrary to human rights and democracy.
What Ayşe Çelik said on the television program is no different from what many of us said on an observation trip to Diyarbakir on the 30th of December 2015, with a group of 100 professionals and academics, namely, “stop the shooting, let us talk peace.” We believe that the only way to prevent more deaths is dialogue, in order for the guns to fall silent, and to start building peace. In the mean time, we demand that those who defend peace be acquitted right away.’’
Now they are being trialed alongside Ayşe Çelik and the television channel director with the same accusation. For 25 of the supporters who participated in a press conference to read the declaration an additional 2 years charge is asked for the crime of ‘’prasing a crime or a criminal’’ regardless of the fact that the subject of the trial was to determine whether there was a crime at all.
WHO ARE BEING TRIALED?
Ayşe Çelik (30) – Teacher. Unemployed
Kadir Turnalı (42) – Kanal D Tv channel Director
Ahmet Dindar (53) – Lawyer, participated in cases and campaigns for peace, democracy and human rights in Turkey.
Ayşe Erzan Silier (67) – Professor of Physics (retired). 2006 L’oreal-Unesco For Women in Science International Award Laureate. 2009 Rammal Award Winner.
Ayşegül Devecioğlu (60) – Proeminent Turkish author. Member of Constituıon Commission of People’s Democratic Party (HDP).
Ayşenur İyidoğan (51) – Graphic artist
Bayram Bahri Belen (65) – Criminal Defense Lawyer. Lawyer in most of the important political cases including the Hrant Dink Trial.
Dilek Gökçin (59) – Film Director.
Ercan İpekçi (62) – Journalist. Former President of Turkish Journalists Union.
Ergin Cinmen (64) – Criminal Defense Lawyer. Spokesperson for the Peace Inıtıative and One Minute of Darkness for Constant Light Campaign.
Ferhat Tunç (52) – Musician. Also article writer for Özgür Gündem. The banned proKurdih newspaper
Gencay Gürsoy (77) – Professor of neurology. Former President of Turkish Doctors Association. Signatory to the peace declaration of Academics for peace.
Gülseren Onanç (51) – Business women, politician. Founder, Women Entrepreneurs Association of Turkey. Former Deputy President of People’s Republican Party.
Gülşen Denizhan (50) – Lawyer.
Gürhan Ertür (65) – Businessperson. Founder of the Radio station Açık Radyo.
Gürkan Develi (54) – Technician, retired.
Halim Bulutoğlu (61) – Businessperson. Former President of The History Foundation.
İbrahim Akın (55) – Kindergarden director.
İbrahim Sinemillioğlu (74) – Lawyer.
Kemal Özgül (72) – Retired Public Prosecutor, Lawyer
Mahmut Konuk (59) – Healthcare worker, unionist
Mehmet Tursun (58) – President of Baran Tursun Foundation, Businessperson
Mevlut Ülgen – Psychologist
Murat Çelikkan (59) – Journalist, CoDirector of Truth Memory Justice Center
Nazmiye Özen (55) – Retired
Nergiz Ovacık – Industrial engineer, feminist, traveler, photographer
Neşe Yaşın (57) – Proeminent Cypriot poet, author
Nil Özsoy Dindar (52) – Lawyer
Orhan Alkaya (58) – Actor, poet, author
Orhan Silier (69) – Historian
Oya Baydar Engin (76) – Proeminet Turkish novelist. Sociologist by profession. For a long time she was involved in socialist politics. Initiator of Peace Initiative.
Perihan Polat – Retired
Pınar Önen (41) – Psychologist
Şanar Yurdatapan (75) – Musician, human rights activist
Sibel Özbudun (70) – Writer, Social antropolog, academician
Süleyman Eryılmaz (60) – Retired unionist
Temel Demirer (62) – Writer
Türkcan Baykal (51) – Dr., Psychiatrist
Vedi Üner Eyüboğlu (86) – Engineer, retired
Vecdi Sayar (66) – Critic, director, columnist.
