27.11.2025 18:50
In the case of the city reconciliation trial, where 10 defendants, 9 of whom are detained, are being tried on the allegation that members of the terrorist organization PKK/KCK were placed in municipalities under its control, the court has issued release decisions. The court decided to release 7 of the detained defendants.
The trial of 10 defendants, including the deputy mayors of Kartal and Ataşehir, who are accused of placing members of the terrorist organization PKK/KCK in municipalities, has resulted in the release of 7 of the detained defendants.
During the hearing at the Istanbul 23rd High Criminal Court, detained defendants Livan Gür, Cemalettin Yüksel, Turabi Şen, Hasan Özdemir, Bülent Kayğun, Elif Gül, Güzin Alpaslan, Sinan Gökçe, and Nesimi Aday, along with their lawyers, were present. The defendants, who made their defenses during the hearing, denied the charges against them.
7 PEOPLE WERE RELEASED
The court panel announced its interim decision, ordering the release of Cemalettin Yüksel, Deputy Mayor of Kartal, Livan Gür, Deputy Mayor of Ataşehir, Bülent Kayğun, Member of the Üsküdar Municipal Council, Güzin Alpaslan, Member of the Fatih Municipal Council, Hasan Özdemir, Member of the Tuzla Municipal Council, Nesimi Aday, Member of the Adalar Municipal Council, and Sinan Gökçe, Member of the Şişli Municipal Council.
HEARING POSTPONED TO FEBRUARY 18
The panel, which decided to continue the detention of the other detained defendants Turabi Şen and Elif Gül, postponed the hearing to February 18, 2026. It was previously decided to release İkbal Polat, the advisor to the Mayor of Beyoğlu, during the last hearing.
NOTABLE DETAIL IN THE INDICTMENT
The indictment prepared by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office states that the defendants, identified as members of the Peoples' Democratic Congress (HDK), began to work in their district municipalities after the local elections on March 31, 2024.
The indictment mentions that an investigation was initiated against the defendants upon understanding that they were members of the organization operating under the "city consensus" formula, and various assessments regarding the defendants' connections to the terrorist organization PKK are included.
It is reported in the indictment that a document seized during a search at the home of Cemalettin Yüksel, Deputy Mayor of Kartal, contained a handwritten note stating, "There is no doubt. The way to heal the deep wounds created by the events of October 6-8 is to reveal the truth about these events - October 10."
"THEY WERE PLACED IN MUNICIPALITIES UNDER CITY CONSENSUS"
The indictment explains that the aforementioned writing was related to the street events that took place in the Eastern Anatolia and Southeastern Anatolia regions on October 6-7-8, 2014, carried out by supporters of the terrorist organization PKK/PYD/YPG at the call of the HDP Central Executive Board. It is noted that Elif Gül, a member of the Sancaktepe Municipal Council, has photographs taken in the rural area of the terrorist organization with her husband Fethi Ahmet Gül and daughter Dilan Gül on November 1-2, 2014.
The indictment states that investigations conducted by the police revealed that Elif Gül and her husband exited through the Şırnak Habur Border Gate on October 29, 2014, and entered on November 2 of the same year, and that a photograph of the defendant Gül with her relative İshak Özçaktu, who is responsible for the so-called special forces of the organization, was seized, taken in 2012.
It is reported in the indictment that a large number of organizational documents were seized during the search of the defendants' homes, and that it was determined that they communicated with many individuals connected to the terrorist organization as a result of HTS examinations. It is stated that some defendants were placed in various district municipalities in Istanbul in accordance with the instruction to infiltrate members of the terrorist organization known as "city consensus," and that many of them were also made members of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) council.
"HDK AND ITS ELEMENTS WERE GIVEN A ROLE"
The indictment notes that the defendants aimed to jointly support the financial structure of the terrorist organization and increase its field power, stating that the HDK, to which they belong, is the umbrella structure of the political field organization under the hierarchical structure of the terrorist organization PKK/KCK, which is a legal-looking front organization and an alternative assembly to the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM), under the KCK/TDÖ fragmented organization.
The indictment mentions that a similar formation, the Democratic Society Congress (DTK), was recognized as a component of the terrorist organization and as a terrorist organization by the decision of the 16th Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation, and it is indicated that the instructions and suggestions of the KCK executive council members were given roles to the HDK and its elements within the framework of the "city consensus" strategy implemented to achieve the goals of "democratic autonomy."
UP TO 15 YEARS OF IMPRISONMENT REQUESTED
The indictment states that the defendants established an organic connection with the terrorist organization and committed the crime of "being a member of an armed terrorist organization" within the hierarchical structure of the organization with diversity, intensity, and continuity, and it is stated that "Investigations will continue to be deepened to uncover all other individuals whose participation is determined for the realization of the 'city consensus' activity aimed at increasing the effectiveness of the terrorist organization in metropolitan cities."
For these reasons, it is requested that the defendants Livan Gür, Cemalettin Yüksel, Turabi Şen, Hasan Özdemir, Bülent Kayğun, Elif Gül, Güzin Alpaslan, İkbal Polat, Sinan Gökçe, and Nesimi Aday be sentenced to imprisonment from 7 years and 6 months to 15 years for the crime of "being a member of an armed terrorist organization."