28.04.2025 17:34
In Izmir, Vedat Çınar Altan, the former co-chair of the HDP, was sentenced to a total of 3 years and 4 months in prison for aiding the PKK/KCK terrorist organization and for making propaganda for the terrorist organization. The statements of the secret witness and the defendant's defenses drew attention during the hearing.
In Izmir, former HDP Provincial Co-Chair Vedat Çınar Altan was sentenced to a total of 3 years and 4 months in prison for 'aiding the PKK/KCK terrorist organization' and 'making propaganda for a terrorist organization.'
As part of the investigation conducted by the Izmir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, operations were carried out on October 6, 2023, at the HDP Izmir Provincial Headquarters and the district buildings in Konak and Buca. During the operation, HDP Izmir Provincial Co-Chairs Vedat Çınar Altan and Berna Çelik, as well as Buca District Co-Chair Nihat Türk, were detained. The suspects were arrested after their procedures at the police station.
Following the investigation, an indictment was prepared against the defendants for the crime of 'being a member of an armed terrorist organization,' seeking up to 15 years in prison. The indictment prepared against Altan and Çelik was accepted by the Izmir 13th High Criminal Court, while the indictment against Türk was accepted by the Izmir 18th High Criminal Court. Altan was released last December, while Çelik's case was merged with another case being heard in Diyarbakır. Altan denied the allegations, while the prosecution presented its opinion on the merits in the last hearing. The prosecutor emphasized that the actions Altan participated in were announced by the terrorist organization through communication tools on social media. The prosecution also noted that Altan made propaganda for the MLKP terrorist organization in his social media posts. For these reasons, the prosecutor requested a prison sentence of up to 15 years for Vedat Çınar Altan for the crime of 'being a member of an armed terrorist organization.'
CONFIDENTIAL WITNESS HEARD
The trial of the unarrested defendant Vedat Çınar Altan continued today at the Izmir 13th High Criminal Court. The hearing was attended by the unarrested defendant Vedat Çınar Altan and his lawyers. During the hearing, a confidential witness codenamed 'Dokuz' was heard via the Audio and Visual Information System (SEGBİS). The confidential witness stated, "Altan was sending young people who came to the HDP Izmir Provincial Headquarters to the countryside as part of the organization's structure. He claimed that the PKK was not a terrorist organization. High-level officials from the organization and managers from the PKK's rural areas also attended the meetings held at the HDP Izmir Provincial Headquarters. I did not participate in these meetings. Despite the ban at that time, Altan and provincial manager Berna Çelik continued the illegal actions of the HDP, press statements, and marches. Slogans were also written on walls on behalf of the organization in the Bayraklı district, and Altan was involved in these actions," he said.
REQUESTED ACQUITTAL
After the witness's statements, the defendant Vedat Çınar Altan, who was given the floor, stated that he is currently serving as the co-chair of the DEM Party in Istanbul and denied the allegations. The defendant's lawyers requested additional time for defense against the opinion on the merits, but the panel rejected the request. Before the decision, Altan was asked for his final words and requested his acquittal.
The court panel sentenced Vedat Çınar Altan to 2 years and 1 month in prison for 'aiding the PKK/KCK terrorist organization' and 1 year and 6 months for 'making propaganda for a terrorist organization.' Due to the defendant's behavior during the trial, the sentence for organization propaganda was reduced to 1 year and 3 months in prison.