The 5th hearing of the retrial of Ayşe Gökkan, former spokesperson of the TJA, held following the Supreme Court's overturning of her two previous sentences — one of 12 years and the other of 7 years and 6 months — issued on charges of "terrorist organization membership," was held at Diyarbakır 9th Heavy Penal Court.

 

Ayşe Gökkan attended the hearing via the Audio and Video Information System (SEGBİS) from Sincan Women's Closed Prison, while her lawyers Berfin Lütfiye Gökkan, Muharrem Şahin and Özüm Vurgun were present in the courtroom. Alongside Ayşe Gökkan's relatives, numerous women's organizations also followed the hearing.

 

PROSECUTION REQUESTED RELEASE

 

The prosecution, presenting its opinion first, requested that Ayşe Gökkan be punished twice on the charge of "terrorist organization membership," and also requested her release.

 

Making her defense in Kurdish in response to the opinion, Ayşe Gökkan stated that she had not committed any act that would warrant her trial or punishment. Stating that she is a Kurdish and Kurdistani woman and that this is the reason she is being tried, Ayşe Gökkan said: "If I am being tried because I am Kurdish, then the whole of society needs to be tried. As long as society's identity is not recognized, these trials will continue."

 

Adding that her detention is arbitrary, Ayşe Gökkan continued her defense as follows: "There is nothing here that constitutes a crime. In Afghanistan women are confined to their homes; in Turkey, 6-year-old children are being subjected to abuse in the homes and dormitories of religious sects. I have waged a struggle against this ISIS mentality. I am struggling for the freedom of women and children. What matters to me is the conscience of the people. In the struggle I have waged, I hold my head high. Ultimately, it is not the people or women who are putting me on trial."

 

Stating that there is no basis for her continued detention, Ayşe Gökkan requested her release.

 

COURT OF CASSATION RULINGS RECALLED

 

The lawyers who then took the floor drew attention to the court's conduct throughout the trial, listing the procedural irregularities. The lawyers noted that the court was trying to give the same justifications for detention regarding Ayşe Gökkan as it had 5 years earlier, and said Ayşe Gökkan was not being tried before an impartial and independent court. The lawyers said that the files prepared to date had been prepared by the police, and that their own requests had not been considered even once. Stating that the secret witnesses were not telling the truth, they said they had requested a legal investigation but that no investigation had been carried out. Noting that Ayşe Gökkan has undergone 3 operations in prison and has health problems, the lawyers, pointing out that there is no risk of flight, requested that a decision of release and acquittal be issued.

 

Following a recess, the court announced its ruling, sentencing Ayşe Gökkan to a total of 19 years and 6 months in prison on the charge of "terrorist organization membership" — 12 years for one charge and 7 years 6 months for the other. The court also ruled for her continued detention.