News Center- 159 public figures, including academics, authors, parliamentarians and lawyers, have published a joint statement on the final hearing in the Kobanê trial, which will be held on May 16, 2024. “We are on the eve of a trial that will affect the future of the country,” said the statement signed by 159 public figures such as Orhan Pamuk, Rıza Türmen, Rakel Dink, Fikri Sağlar, Ertuğrul Günay, Berrin Sönmez, Zülfü Livaneli, Fatma Bostan Ünsal, Eşber Yağmurdereli, Nesrin Nas and Oya Baydar.

‘It has critical importance for our country’

The local election results have strengthened the expectation in society for political détente, peace and tranquility, the joint statement said. “The prerequisite for the realization of this expectation and hope is that the judiciary should not be controlled by the political authority and turn into an independent body that dispenses justice according to the rule of law in the Constitution.”

We are on the brink of a decision that will affect the future of the country, the statement emphasized. “The decision in the Kobani trial, which will be held in the coming days, will show whether the government will respect the principle of independent judiciary. Because this trial is the key point of the trials in which the judiciary is used as a political tool, as in the Gezi.

“The decision in the Kobani trial should be a spark showing that unlawfulness in the country will end and the judiciary will regain its independence.”

The statement also called on the Turkish authorities to immediately release all people held in prison pending the trial. “The recent political developments have shown that the politics of tension, injustice and unlawfulness do not ensure peace and safety and that these politics are not approved by society. We hope and expect that the decision in the Kobani trial will pave the way for the construction of the rule of law and social peace.”

Signatories

Abdulhakim Daş, Abdullah Keskin, Abdullah Öncel, Abdülbaki Erdoğmuş, Adnan Özyalçıner, Ahmet Aykaç, Ahmet Çakmak, Ahmet Dindar, Ahmet Özdemir Aktan, Akın Atalay, Alev Er, Ali Bayramoğlu, Ali Bilge, Ali Haydar Konca, Ali Yaycıoğlu, Altay Öktem, Arlin Çiçekci, Arzu Başaran, Atilla Ansal, Atilla Dirim, Aydın Selcen, Aylin Tekiner, Ayşe Erzan, Ayşe Semiha Baban, Ayşe Sözeri Cemal, Ayşegül Devecioğlu, Ayşen Günsu Teker,  Ayşen Şahin, Baskın Oran, Bengü Üçüncü, Berrin Sönmez, Binnaz Toprak, Birgül Oğuz, Burhan Sönmez-Yazar, Burhan Şenatalar, Bülend Tuna-Mimar., Bülent Atamer, Bülent Tekin, Cafer, Celalettin Can, Cengiz Arın, Cihangir İslam, Cuma Erçe,  Çağatay Anadol,  Çiğdem Koç, Deniz Durukan, Deniz Türkali, Doğan Bermek, Ekrem Baran, Emine Uşaklıgil,  Enes Atila Pay, Ercan Geçmez, Erdal Karayazgan, Erdoğan Aydın, Erdoğan Kahyaoğlu, Ergin Cinmen, Erol Köroğlu, Ertuğrul Günay, Esat Akçılad, Esra Koç, Esra Mungan, Eşber Yağmurdereli, Fatma Akdokur,  Fatma Bostan Ünsal, Ferhat Tunç, Fethiye Çetin, Fırat Acar, Figen Çalıkuşu, Figen Şakacı, Fikret Başkaya, Fikri Sağlar, Gaye Boralıoğlu, Gençay Gürsoy, Gülayşe Koçak, Gülhan Türkay, Gülseren Onanç, Gülten Kaya,  Gürhan Ertür, Hacer Ansal, Halil İbrahim Yenigün, Hasan Cemal, Huri Özdoğan, Hülya Ekşigil,  Hülya Gülbahar, İbrahim Betil, İslam Özkan,Kadir Akın, Kemal Aytaç, Levent Tüzel, Ludmila Denisenko, Mebuse Tekay,  Mehmet Ali Alpar, Mehmet Altan,  Mehmet Bilal Dede, Mehmet Ural, Melek Taylan,  Metin Bayrak, Murat Uyurkulak, Murathan Mungan, Mustafa Aslan, Mustafa Paçal, Nahit Eren, Namık Tan, Nazar Büyüm, Necmiye Alpay, Nesim Ovadya İzrail, Nesrin Nas, Nesrin Sungur, Nesteren Davutoğlu, Neşe Erdilek, Nil Mutluer, Nilüfer Tapan,Nuray Sancar, Nurcan Baysal, Nurhan Süerdem, Nurten Ertuğrul, Orhan Alkaya, Orhan Pamuk, Orhan Silier, Osman Okkan, Oya Baydar, Öget Öktem Tanör, Ömer Ceylan, Ömer Faruk, Ömer Madra, Ömer Zülfü Livaneli, Özden Uçar, Rakel Dink, Reşit Şahin Canbeyli, Rezzan Tuncay, Rıza Türmen, Rojhat Dilsiz, Saffet Ercan, Selçuk Erez, Selim Ölçer, Sena Kaleli, Serdar Arat, Sinan Özaraz, Şahika Yüksel, Şanar Yurdatapan, Şenol Karakaş, Talat Kırış, Tatyos Bebek, Temel İskit, Tuğrul Eryılmaz, Turgut Öker, Ümit Aktaş, Ümit Biçer, Ümit Kıvanç, Ünal Ünsal, Viki Çiprut, Yakın Ertürk, Yakup Uygun, Yavuz Ekinci, Yektan Türkyılmaz, Yeşim M. Atamer, Zafer Aydın, Zehra Arat, Ziya Halis.