While a legal regulation was made about pleading in Kurdish which turned into a crisis with definitions such as 'unknown language', 'unidentified language', 'a language claimed to be Kurdish', 'a language that was not understood by the court board', Diyarbakır 9th High Criminal Court developed a new case law, limiting pleading in Kurdish with the first and the last hearings. In the case where the Spokesperson of the Free Women's Movement (Tevgera Jinên Azad -TJA) Ayşe Gökkan was tried with the allegation of "being an organization leader" and "being a member of a terrorist organization", the court unanimously accepted that defense could be made in Kurdish except for the first and last hearings.

 

EXCEPT FOR THE FIRST AND THE LAST HEARINGS

 

Gökkan, who attended the 20th hearing of the case from Diyarbakır Women's Closed Prison, wanted to plead in Kurdish. The court did not allow Gökkan and told that the defendant could only plead in Kurdish in the first and the last hearing of the case. Gökkan stated that she won't plead in Turkish and rejected to plaid.

 

HEARING WAS POSTPONED

 

The court ordered the continuation of Gökkan's detention on the grounds that the evidence could be spoiled and there was a flight risk and that the judicial control measures would be insufficient. 

 

The hearing was postponed to June 23.

 

Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Co-Chairperson Saliha Aydeniz, TJA, Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Diyarbakır MPs Remziye Tosun, Dersim Dağ, HDP and DBP provincial and district organizations, HDP Batman, Dersim, Şırnak and Mardin provincial organizations members followed the hearing.  A limited number of people were allowed to follow the trial due to the pandemic.