- The case against jailed lawyer Sezin Uçar, who is charged with membership in the Marxist-Leninist Communist Party (MLKP), is based on a three-page indictment and statements from 13 people who benefited from Turkey’s “effective remorse” provisions, which can allow reduced sentences in exchange for cooperation with authorities.
- Mustafa Tezel, an identified witness named in the indictment, also appears in indictments against journalist Pınar Gayıp and Nadiye Gürbüz. Tezel previously said during Gayıp’s trial that he had not made the statements attributed to him and that he did not know Gayıp.
- The first hearing in Uçar’s case is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sept. 24 before Istanbul’s 26th High Criminal Court.
ISTANBUL — Lawyer Sezin Uçar, who was jailed on Sept. 15 as part of an investigation targeting the Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP) and affiliated organizations, is set to appear before a judge in the fifth month of her pretrial detention.
A three-page indictment prepared by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office cites statements given in previous years by 13 people under Turkey’s “effective remorse” provisions, as well as testimony from an anonymous witness and identified witness Mustafa Tezel. The effective remorse provisions can provide reduced sentences or other legal benefits to suspects or defendants who cooperate with authorities.
According to the indictment, the 13 people who gave statements under the provisions alleged that Uçar was active in the Law Office of the Oppressed, which prosecutors claim operates as the legal structure of the Marxist-Leninist Communist Party (MLKP), an outlawed organization in Turkey.
They also alleged that Uçar instructed people who had been detained on how they should behave and relayed decisions made by the organization’s central leadership to imprisoned members.
An anonymous witness identified by the code M4L1T2P5Z3 alleged that Uçar was also active within the Communist Women’s Organization (KKÖ), which authorities describe as the MLKP’s women’s structure.
Tezel disavowed statement attributed to him in Gayıp case
Mustafa Tezel is also among those whose statements prosecutors cited as a basis for the accusations against Uçar. According to the indictment, Tezel said that people who attended meetings allegedly organized on behalf of the MLKP carried out activities at a leadership level for the organization in the provinces where they lived. Tezel also alleged that Uçar gave a speech at one of the meetings.
Tezel’s name, however, previously appeared in an indictment against journalist Pınar Gayıp. When he testified as an identified witness in Gayıp’s trial, Tezel said he had not made the statement about Gayıp that the indictment attributed to him.
Tezel said he did not know Gayıp and had never seen her. He also said the statement included in the indictment was not his.
Tezel’s name also appeared in an indictment against lawyer Nadiye Gürbüz. He was expected to testify as a witness at Gürbüz’s first hearing on Sept. 15, but he did not attend the hearing and did not give evidence.
Prosecutors have asked the court to convict Uçar of “membership in an armed terrorist organization” and to order the continuation of her pretrial detention.
Uçar’s first hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sept. 24 before Istanbul’s 26th High Criminal Court.
