No end in sight for those in Dev-Yol trial
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Hürriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Temmuz 10, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - Turkey’s appeals court Thursday ordered a third retrial for 21 defendants of Dev-Yol, an illegal leftist organization, on charges of attempting to topple the state 27 years ago.
The Supreme Court of Appeals said it overruled a lower court decision to sentence 21 of the defendants to life in prison because that court failed to request their testimony, violating their right to defend themselves.
As a result, the defendants will be tried again in the local court.
"As far as I know, it’s the first time the Supreme Court of Appeals ruled that the defendants’ right to a fair trial was violated [by the lower court] ... It’s very important for the Turkish legal system," Şenal Saruhan, one of the lawyers that followed the case since the early 1980s, told reporters after the announcement of the ruling.
Saruhan predicted that the appeal’s court ruling would also be applicable to some other cases. "That’s why this ruling is important. It would set precedent," he said.
The case, publicly known as the Dev-Yol main case, started in October 1982, when members of the illegal socialist Revolutionary Road, or Dev-Yol, organization were accused with charges from murder to breach of the Constitution. It was in 1979 when Dev-Yol members started to be arrested, and it was only possible to complete the indictment in 1982. The case started with 574 suspects, but during the process the number of suspects reached 723. The court made its first conclusion in 1989, sentencing seven suspects to death and 39 to life in prison.
As a result, the defendants will be tried again in the local court.
"As far as I know, it’s the first time the Supreme Court of Appeals ruled that the defendants’ right to a fair trial was violated [by the lower court] ... It’s very important for the Turkish legal system," Şenal Saruhan, one of the lawyers that followed the case since the early 1980s, told reporters after the announcement of the ruling.
Saruhan predicted that the appeal’s court ruling would also be applicable to some other cases. "That’s why this ruling is important. It would set precedent," he said.
The case, publicly known as the Dev-Yol main case, started in October 1982, when members of the illegal socialist Revolutionary Road, or Dev-Yol, organization were accused with charges from murder to breach of the Constitution. It was in 1979 when Dev-Yol members started to be arrested, and it was only possible to complete the indictment in 1982. The case started with 574 suspects, but during the process the number of suspects reached 723. The court made its first conclusion in 1989, sentencing seven suspects to death and 39 to life in prison.