The third hearing of the case of Ayşe Çelik, who was charged with making "terrorist organization propaganda" for saying "Children should not die" on a live TV show she phoned in, and of the 38 civil disobedients who supported her, took place in Bakırköy Courthouse 2.Assize Court.
The prosecutor presented his opinions as to the accusation: He demanded the show's executive producer Kadir Turnalı's acquittal for he had no intention to commit a crime and 38 civil disobedient's acquitall as they did not have this intention, since they believed what Ayşe Çelik did was not a crime. Yet the prosecutor demanded a prison sentence for Ayşe Çelik based on article 7/2 of the Penal Code (Terrorist Organization Propaganda), claimin that she had alterior motives in calling the show and that she acted in line with PKK's objectives, trying to portray Turkish Armed Forces of being responsible for what went on in the southeast. All defendants demanded additional time to prepare their defense statements, the hearing will resume on April 26, 14:00.
The majority of the civil disobedients who denounced themselves in solidarity with Ayşe Çelik are getting ready to object to the demand for their acquittal. The founder of our initiative, composer and human rights advocate Şanar Yurdatapan asserted that the prosecutors have neither the right nor the duty to "interpret one's own intentions", that he can not have such reasoning on the intentions of Ayşe Çelik or the civil disobedients, and stated: