ANKARA - Progressive International (PI) General Coordinatior David Adler said the HDP turned the tables around and said "We will not let you judge us we are here to judge you" and it was fascinating.

 

David Adler, the General Coordinator of the Progressive International who is in Ankara to monitor the Kobané Trial and stand in solidarity with the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), spoke to Mesopotamia Agency (MA) regarding his observations at the trial. Underlining that they witnessed a circus in the court room, Adler said: "The absence of any respect for legal proceedings outright denying legal representation to the scores of defendant members,  Mayors, and MPs, showed everyone in the courtroom, that this was not about justice.This was obviously plainly about political persecution."

 

POLITICAL PERSECUTION

 

Adler explaining why they came to monitor the hearing, said: "It's been very clear to us that President Erdoğan wishes for this increasing political persecution, to happen under the cover of darkness, when nobody is watching" and added that they came to monitor the hearing to spoil that game.

 

POLICE HARASSMENT

 

Underlining that he was not surprised the hearing was held in Sincan Prison Campus, out of the city, but it was noteworthy, Adler said: "It is no surprise that this trial of 108 defendants happened not in the city center of Ankara, but way out in the middle of nowhere. And that says everything we need to know about the optics, and the ideal circumstance for the combining case. The entire structure of this circus was to have as much police and military presence as possible and as few eyes and ears of international observers of legal defenders, or even Turkish parliamentarians.From the minute we stepped into the Sincan Prison Campus, we were harassed. The police presence was overwhelming.They were harassing journalists, they were pushing us out of the way, telling us where we could be we couldn't be trying to provoke a confrontation. That could be the basis for preventing us from entering the courthouse."

 

'THIS IS NOT EVEN A TRIAL'

 

Underlining that the Kobané Trial is not even a trial, Adler said: "It's not about the trial, the Kobani case is not about Kobani, or the case, it's about the political persecution of the HDP and their allies, and sending a signal across Turkey and around the world that dissent, will not be tolerated by this by this regime."

 

Pointing out that the most fascinating thing they observed at the trial was that the HDP said, "We will not let you judge us we are here to judge you", ADler said: "The fascinating element of today's trial was not so much the circus dimension. It was the ability of the HDP itself to turn the tables of this trial to say, "We will not let you judge us we are here to judge you". This was the most inspiring element of this, so I am confident or not confident, I'm hopeful that in the course of this, these 45 days, the lawyers defendants MPs and friends of the HDP can keep that pressure on to say, this is not just injustice, this is an opportunity for us to turn the tables and prosecute you Erdoğan, for this abortion of justice." 

 

'THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH SOLIDARITY'

 

Critisizing the lack of solidarity from international public, political parties and NGOs, Adler said: " I think that the case of the HDP, is one that needs to be much more widely publicized, much better understood, where the notion of steep solidarity that what's happened to the HDP is going to happen next to their other friends across Turkey. More people need to be present here in Ankara to witness what's happening today."

 

 

MA / Gözde Çağrı Özköse - Ceylan Şahinli