Izmir- The fourth hearing of the murder trial of Deniz Poyraz, who was killed by Onur Gencer in the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Izmir office on June 17, 2021, has started.

HDP MPs, the representatives of political parties, women’s organizations, NGOs, the presidents of bar associations and many journalists have been monitoring the hearing held by the Izmir 6th High Criminal Court.

“We have doubts”

Issuing a statement before the hearing, HDP Izmir MP Serpil Kemalbay stated that there has been no development in the trial although three hearings of the murder trial have been held. “Seeking justice for Deniz Poyraz has been turned into a fiasco during these three hearings. This trial should continue until all institutions that fail to fulfill their responsibilities, particularly the instigators, are tried and held to account. However, as in previous hearings, we still have deep doubts that justice will not be delivered here today.”

Indicating that the aim of the murder Deniz Poyraz is to cause a chaos in Turkey, Serpil Kemalbay said, “We are seeking for justice not only to reveal the truth behind the murder of our comrade Deniz Poyraz but also for Turkey to be a democratic republic, to provide the opportunity for everyone to live in peace in Turkey.” In the statement, Serpil Kemalbay stressed that Onur Gencer has been protected by the ruling party.

After Serpil Kemalbay read the statement, HDP MP Sezai Temelli and Republican People's Party (CHP) Sezgin Tanrıkulu made speeches.

“We are stronger together”

After the speeches, Zilan Tayboğa, a member of the Women Are Stronger Together Platform (Kadınlar Birlikte Güçlü) made a speech. “Onur Gencer and those who have the same mentality as him should be afraid of us because we are stronger together. Today, we are Çilem Doğan, whose eyelashes do not fall out, Aysel Tuğluk, Sebahat (Sebahat Tuncel), Gülten (Gültan Kışanak) and Figen (Figen Yüksekdağ), who have been held behind bars. We are the children of the rainbow that you try to darken with your hatred. We think this attack was carried out not only against the HDP but also all women by the male-dominant state.”

Fehime Poyraz: The killer murdered Deniz but there are thousands like Deniz

Deniz Poyraz’s mother Fehime Poyraz also made a speech and said, “Deniz does not die but lives in our heart. All people are now Deniz. Deniz does not die; she flows like the sea (Deniz means sea in Turkish), from everywhere. The people like Deniz never die. The murderer killed Deniz, but all the people rose up. All people have been risen up, martyrs are immortal.”

Threat in front of the courthouse

While the hearing was going on, a man holding a gun tried to enter the courthouse and threatened the people monitoring the hearing. Police reportedly did not stop the armed man until he arrived in front of the court. Police attacked the people monitoring the hearing when they reacted to the situation. The attacker has been reportedly detained by police.