Retrial Request Submitted for Öcalan

Abdullah Öcalan’s advocates submitted a request to court for their client’s retrial. 

According to Firat News Agency (ANF), Öcalan’s advocates Rezan Sarıca, Cengiz Yürekli and Mazlum Dinç submitted the request to Ankara 11th High Criminal Court - the judicial authority that ordered life sentence for Öcalan.  

Advocates made the claim that their client could be retried on the ground of the amended jurisdiction on retrial in Law 6459 Article 21 within Turkey’s new judicial reforms - publicly known as 4th Judicial Package. 

Some of the highlights [not the official English translation] from the request statement included: 

“We request a) the approval of Mr. Öcalan’s retrial - a situation that has been supported by a European Court of Human Rights verdict which stated that the trial of Öcalan has violated the European Convention of Human Rights and based on a discriminatory process; b) the reordering or suspension of sentence according to Penal Trials Law (Ceza Muhakemeleri Kanunu) Article 312; c) the suspension of Temporary Article 2 of Court Trials Law 6459 by Constitutional Court due to the fact that it conflicted Constitution Article 152/1. (YY/BM)