- Nimet Tanrıkulu stated that the court panel behaves harshly towards her at every hearing and reminded that her right to speak and to a defense should not be obstructed.
- The court rejected the requests for lifting judicial control and for the return of her phone; the hearing was postponed to March 22.
Semra Pelek
The hearing of the case in which Nimet Tanrıkulu, one of the founders of the Human Rights Association (İHD) and a long-time human rights defender, is being tried on the charge of “membership in an organization” was held today at Istanbul 24th High Criminal Court. Many human rights defenders, politicians, and journalists came to the courthouse to observe the hearing.
“You are not listening to me, you should not behave like this”
During the hearing, Tanrıkulu took the floor and criticized the court panel’s attitude, saying: “At every hearing, you behave harshly and in a dismissive manner toward me; I think you should not behave this way.”
The presiding judge responded, “How would you like us to behave?”
Tanrıkulu then said, “You should not behave harshly. I want to speak here, but you are not listening.”
The question “Did you attend Sakine Cansız’s funeral?” drew a reaction
Tanrıkulu’s lawyer, Eren Keskin, objected to a question posed by the court panel. Criticizing the question directed at her client, “Did you attend the funeral of Sakine Cansız in Paris?”, Keskin said:
“My client is a human rights defender, and human rights defenders may attend funerals; even the government says this. But you are conducting a trial by asking, ‘Did you attend a terrorist’s funeral?’”
Keskin also drew attention to a violation of the right to a fair trial, saying:
“The hearing was supposed to start at 10 a.m., but we entered the courtroom at 11 a.m. Moreover, this is the first session. As lawyers, because of your attitude, we are missing other hearings.”
Request for lifting judicial control and return of phone rejected
Tanrıkulu and her lawyers requested the lifting of the judicial control order imposed on her and the return of her confiscated phone. However, the court rejected these requests in line with the prosecutor’s negative opinion. Tanrıkulu’s obligation to sign once a month will continue.
The hearing was postponed to March 22 at 11:50 a.m.
What had happened?
Nimet Tanrıkulu is a founding member of the Human Rights Association and has been part of the Saturday Mothers/People initiative, one of Turkey’s longest-standing human rights movements.
Tanrıkulu was detained on the morning of November 26, 2024, as part of an investigation subject to a confidentiality order, with her home raided. She was taken to Ankara the same day.
On November 29, she was arrested on the charge of “membership in an organization” under Article 314/2 of the Turkish Penal Code. In the same file, 12 other individuals, including politicians and trade unionists, were also detained; eight of them were arrested along with Tanrıkulu.
On December 12, 2024, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office prepared an indictment against Tanrıkulu. However, the indictment was based on abstract elements such as her past travels, participation in civil society activities during the peace process period, and base station signal data.
The court in Ankara ruled that it lacked jurisdiction and sent the file to Istanbul.
The Istanbul 24th High Criminal Court accepted the indictment, and the first hearing of the case was held on March 4, 2025. The court ruled for Tanrıkulu’s release under judicial control; a travel ban and a requirement to sign in twice a month were imposed on her. This obligation was later reduced to once a month.
