News Center- The 83rd hearing of the Kobanê Trial against 108 politicians, 18 of whom are held in prison pending the trial including former HDP Co-Chairs Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ starts today. A verdict is expected.

The women politicians, who have been held in prison pending the trial, have declared in a joint letter that they will not attend the hearing to protest the isolation imposed on Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan.

The joint letter signed by Sebahat Tuncel, Ayla Akat Ata, Zeynep Ölbeci, Zeynep Karaman, Aynur Aşan, Ayşe Yağcı, Meryem Adıbelli and Pervin Oduncu is as follows:

 “All constitutional and legal rights of Mr. Abdullah Öcalan and his friends have been usurped in the prison island of Imrali. These rights violations are against democracy. The policy of absolute isolation has become a systematic practice. Both the legal and ethical definition of this practice is torture. The objections the Kurdish people, their friends and lawyers against this torture have been ignored so far. This torture system in the prison island Imrali is the usurpation of rights and freedoms and leaves the Kurdish question unresolved. This system paves the way for conflict, prevents democracy and peace for all citizens in Türkiye. The isolation imposed on Mr. Öcalan in the prison island of Imrali is also the isolation of social peace and democracy. The absolute isolation imposed on the prison island of Imrali must be lifted for the solution to the Kurdish question, the democratization of Turkey, and the construction of democratic constitutional state. We will not attend the hearing that will be held today so that the conditions for health, security and freedom of Kurdish leader Mr. Abdullah Öcalan will be ensured.”