The KCK trial, which started on October 18, will continue until November 12. In this trial, Kurdish politicians, human right defenders and activists of democratic mass organisations are accused of "being member of an armed terror organisation", "contravene the law regulating public meetings" and of "propaganda for a terror organisation".{divide} The prosecutor is demanding up to 36, 5 years of prison for the 104 accused being in prison for 18 month and the 48 accused still outside prison. Meanwhile aggravated life imprisonment is demanded for 11 persons; up to 5400 years of prison are demanded in total for the other accused.
The racist and negating spirit is reflected in the trial
Despite the fact that the wish of making the defence speeches in Kurdish, the mother tongue of those accused, was rejected, the Kurdish politicians answered at the attendance check before the trial in Kurdish saying "ez le virim" (Here I am). 2000 police men are in charge for the trial around the court building blocking the traffic with so called TOMA vehicles (Vehicles for Intervention into Social Affairs), buses of the emergency mobile forces and scorpion-type ironclad police vehicles. By holding the hearing in a small room, participation of the press was restricted. Only 10 journalists were allowed to enter the courtroom. Representatives of political parties and spokesmen of democratic organisations from different countries as well as international human rights defenders came from abroad to the city of Amed in order to observe the trial. 300 lawyers will defend the Kurdish politicians during the trial. In order to reduce the time of the trial, the court board decided to read out a summary of the 7578 pages bill of indictment.
The State is interfering through camera system
Another peculiarity of the courtroom is that everything is observed through 8 different cameras linked directly to the computer system. The hearings of the KCK trial is observed live through this system including 3 moving cameras and no written minutes are taken. It is unknown who is observing the hearings; to which institutions or persons the camera system is linked.