Eight hearings dispensed with in five minutes
Thirteen academics who signed the Peace Declaration appeared before the judges yesterday. The recommendation that the prosecutor read at the first hearing was copied without being read at the other hearings. The eight hearings lasted a total of five minutes.
cumhuriyet.com.trCANAN COŞKUN
The hearings of thirteen academics being tried on organisational propaganda charges for having signed the “We will not be party to this crime” declaration calling for an end to the process of conflict in South-East Anatolia continued yesterday. In the first proceedings of the day, prosecutor Caner Babaloğlu read the same recommendation on the merits as he had submitted at the hearings of other academics held at the court and the recommendation was copied by the clerk in the subsequent hearings. In this way, the hearings of eight academics were dispensed with in a total of five minutes.
The hearings of thirteen academics continued yesterday at Istanbul Serious Crime Court No 32. At the first hearing, Istanbul University research worker Aslı Aydemir İnönülü came before the judges. At the hearing, İnönülü’s lawyer Meriç Eyüboğlu applied for a broadening of the investigation. Subsequently, hearing prosecutor Caner Babaloğlu read precisely the same recommendation on the merits that he had issued at the trials of other academics. The hearing was adjourned until 6 July for the defence on the merits to be prepared. With three power cuts occurring during the hearing, the court bench took a half hour recess.
Following the recess, the hearings of Prof. Dr. Ayşe Rezan Tuncay of Istanbul University, Prof. Dr. Özdemir Aktan of Istanbul University, Prof. Dr. Şahika Yüksel of Istanbul University, retired Prof. Dr. Ayşe Erzan of Istanbul Technical University, Prof. Dr. Nesrin Sungur Çakmak of Işık University, Associate Professor Dr. Ayten Alkan Işık of Istanbul University and expelled Marmara University research workers, Emre Tansu Keten and Canan Özbey, were heard. At all the hearings, prosecutor Babaloğlu made a copy of his recommendation without reading it. The eight hearings lasted five minutes. The hearings were adjourned for judgement on 6 July, 21 June and 17 July.
At the hearing of Dr. Stefo Benlisoy of Istanbul Technical University, in turn, Benlisoy’s lawyer Ali Soydan said he had applied between sessions for a broadening of the investigation. The hearing prosecutor, citing the stage reached by the proceedings, sought the dismissal of the application for a broadening of the investigation. The court then dismissed the application. At this, lawyer Soydan applied for time for the defence on the merits. With presiding judge Ömer Günaydın telling Soydan they would adjourn the hearing for a week, Soydan stated that he would draft the defence on the merits and one week was an inadequate amount of time for the bench to conduct an examination. Presiding Judge Günaydın then adjourned the hearing until 12 April.