On October 26, 2007, the 23 communists, who are imprisoned since September 2006, appeared the first time before the judge. In their short speeches before the court the prisoners defended the legitimacy of revolution and socialism against the claim of the prosecutor "to violently try to change the constitutional order and replace it with a Marxist-Leninist order".
The communist prisoners entered the court building in Istanbul Besiktas with slogans of brotherhood, announced that that this trial is a historical day of reckoning between the oppressors and the oppressed and defended their ideas.
The prisoner Seyfi Polat said: "It is the MLCP and the world view represented by the MLCP that are wanted to be convicted today and here, it is the MLCP as a political party with its philosophy, political line and its actions. Of course the MLCP will respond to that. We are proud of defending the MLCP."
Arif Celebi and Ziya Ulusoy read out two applications responding to the claim of the prosecutor of "trying to change the constitutional order by the force of weapons", on which he bases the bill of indictment. Exposing the system in every aspect, they underlined that it is an honour to struggle for socialism. Arif Celebi defended socialism exposing the counterrevolutionary line from Semdinli to the murder of Hrant Dink and said the fundamental problems of the people may only be solved in y socialist system and that this order would be "a Republic based on peoples´ councils" and that "it is an honour to fight for such a system".
Ziya Ulusoy drew the attention to the racist, nationalist wave developing in the last time and underlined that the demands of the Kurdish people are democratic demands. He said that racism and fascist meetings are no solution and called upon the Turkish people to raise their voices against the cross-border-operation. Ulusoy said that this order "definitely will be overthrown and as a communist I am proud to take part in this struggle" and by saying that the alternative of this order is socialism he explained the socialist order from many aspects.
Ali Hidir Polat defended socialism by saying "the nationalist-looking meetings organised by those in power are racist and fascist meetings, this meetings are not raising the honour of the Turkish people but on the contrary harm its honour, we have to raise the brotherhood of the peoples."
Chief Editor of the newspaper Atilim Ibrahim Cicek said "I am a socialist journalist" and exposed the repression of the Anti-terror Law on the society and press. Director of the radio station Ozgur Radyo Fusun Erdogan also said that in the radio they are working on the side of the workers and all the oppressed.
The other prisoners also exposed the fascist dictatorship in their speeches at the court hearing and the lawyers of the defence drew attention to the contradicting decisions and practice during the investigation period. The lawyers said that the Anti-terror Law is the reflections of the global state of emergency in Turkey and their exposed the Anti-terror Law. They also emphasized that the investigations had not been realised on an appropriate basis according to the law but with an ideological approach. They announced that the accusations made against the accused are not based on any proof, that the evidence were not given to them and therefore their rights of defence have been infringed. They demanded that forged evidence and evidence belonging to old trials should be taken out of the files.
The prisoners and lawyers applied to be released but the court decided to keep them into detention and postponed the trial to 28-29-February 2008.
A broad solidarity movement with the September prisoners was built in Turkey and Northern Kurdistan as well as on the international level. In many parts of the country activities, meetings and calls were made. On October 25, Haluk Gerger, Vedat Turkali, Mihri Belli and Sevim Belli made a press conference in the office of the IHD Istanbul Branch (Association of Human Rights) in the name of 128 intellectuals and noted that they will closely observe the court hearing of October 26 and called upon for sensitivity.
International delegates from Germany, Italy and France also participated in the trial. In the period prior to the trial there was a action in Moscow, and on October 25 street actions took place in Argentina, Belgium, England and Germany in front of the Turkish Embassies and Consulates, where they demanded freedom for the 10 September prisoners.
Protest letters to the Turkish state and solidarity messages for the prisoners were send from countries like Albania, USA, Germany, Belgium, the Basque Country, Brasilia, Italy, Austria, Russia, Peru and Canada. In Argentina, 31 parties and organisations, among them the PCR, MST, PST and LIBERPUEBLO and 51 intellectuals and representatives of organisations, among them also the Nobel laureate Adolfo Perez Ezquivel sent a protest letter to the president of the Turkish Republic Gul and the Prime Minister Erdogan and demanded freedom for the 10 September prisoners.
40 Parties and organisations of the international arena have signed a statement published by the International Bureau of our Party.