Turkey: Prokurd leaders tried for protests in support of Kobane in 2014
The co-chairman of the pro-Kurdish HDP party, Selahattin Demirtas had already been tried for insulting Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on February 3, 2021. AP - Emrah Gurel
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A giant trial opened on Monday, April 26 in Turkey: 108 people are accused of having provoked the death of 37 demonstrators in 2014 against Turkey's inaction in Kobane, a Syrian border town.
Many face life imprisonment, including two former leaders of the main pro-Kurdish party, the HDP.
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With our correspondent in Istanbul,
Cerise Sudry-Le Dû
“
It's a vengeful political trial.
The HDP co-chair tries to make a statement to the press, but he is constantly interrupted by the police, who ask to respect safety distances, because of the coronavirus.
The trial which opens this Monday in Ankara is tense.
In all, 108 people are found on the dock, all current or former leaders of HDP, the pro-Kurdish party in Turkey.
Among them, Selahattin Demirtas, its former president who has already been behind bars for four years.
At the time, in 2014, the Syrian city of Kobane was on the verge of falling into the hands of the Islamists.
The city is on the Turkish-Syrian border and many Turkish citizens witness its agony helplessly from Turkish territory.
So the HDP calls for protest against Turkey's inaction.
The demonstrations, organized throughout the country degenerate and 37 people lose their lives.
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To listen: Drama of Kobane, the anger of the Kurds of Turkey
HDP under ban
Today, the HDP is accused of having "
provoked the violence
" and "
undermined the integrity of the state
".
The trial is expected to last a minimum of several months.
The HDP is already subject to legal proceedings: a prosecutor has requested that it be banned.
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See also: Turkey: the HDP denounces a "political putsch" after a request for a ban targeting it
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