ISTANBUL – The hearing of academics standing trial for having signed peace petition has been postponed. 

 

The first hearing of the academics standing trial for having signed the peace declaration of the Academics for Peace was held today. The hearing held by Istanbul 35th High Criminal Court divided into two sections. 

 

In the first section, academics Osman Olcay Kural, Tuba Akıncılar, Gizem Bilgin Aytaç, Hakan Yücel, Mehtap Balık Kaya and Pedriye Mutlu appeared before judge. The lawyers stated that this case should have been opened from Article 301, not from “propagandizing for a terrorist organization” by citing the case opened against academics Esra Mungan, Meral Camcı, Kıvanç Ersoy and Muzaffer Kaya and they demanded the dismissal of the case. However, the court rejected the demand and ruled the academics to be tried for allegedly “propagandizing for a terrorist organization” 

 

In the second section, academics Başak Yıldırım, Aslı Didem Danış, Aleeddin Dinç, Ömer Orhan Akgün and Eray Sargın appeared before judge. Lawyer Arin Yeniaras recalled that the name of any organization hadn’t been written in the declaration that academicians signed. Arin said the prosecutor accused the academics by saying, ‘They praise the Kurdish people”. “Praising the Kurdish people is not a crime,” Arin said the prosecutor had written “Kurdish cities” mentioned in an English text as “Kurdistan” in the indictment and the prosecutor tried to produce a crime. 

 

The lawyers demanded the academics to be acquitted. As the verbal debate took place between the president of the court board and the lawyers, the president of court raised his voice against the lawyers and said “You are defaming” and then said, “Foreign delegations are here.” 

 

The hearing has been postponed to April 12.