Writer Akhanlı Faces Life Sentence despite Lack of Evidence
The prosecutor demanded an aggravated life sentence for writer Erdoğan Akhanlı at the hearing on 15 June. Akhanlı is alleged of the "attempt to change the constitutional order by force".
The author lives in Germany and was taken into police custody upon his entry to Turkey on 10 August 2010. He remained in detention for four months.
Four months wasted in prison
Akhanlı is considered as one of the culprits involved in a robbery on an exchange bureau in Eminönü (Istanbul) on 23 October 1989. The owner of the exchange office, İbrahim Yaşar Tutum, was killed in the robbery. Akhanlı came to Turkey in August 2010 to see his critically ill father who passed away while Akhanlı was in detention at the Tekirdağ No.2 F Type Prison.
The indictment alleges Akhanlı of membership of the "Turkish People's Liberation Party - Re-Liberation Union People's Liberation Forces" based on the statements taken from Mehmet Fatih Çalışkan and Hamza Kopal. The indictment is furthermore based on the assumption that "İbrahim Yaşar Tutum [who was killed in the robbery] was probably killed by Hamza Kopal and his friends".
The sons of slain İbrahim Yaşar Tutum stated that Akhanlı was not the person who killed their father. Akhanlı was released pending trial on 8 December 2010.
Aggrevated life sentence demanded
Akhanlı, who was expelled to Germany in January 2011, did not attend the Wednesday hearing before the Istanbul 11th High Criminal Court. He was represented by his lawyer Ercan Kanar.
As reported by Radikal newspaper, Prosecutor Celal Kara claimed that the robbery and the murder were committed with the aim to overthrow the constitutional order. According to the former version of the Turkish Criminal Law (TCK), Kara demanded an aggravated life sentence for Akhanlı on the grounds of the "attempt to overthrow the constitutional order of the Turkish Republic by armed force".
"Trying to apply war law"
In a statement made to bianet, lawyer Ercan Kanar described the final speech of the prosecution as "constructed with the logic of the anti-terror branch but lacking legal evidence".
In his opinion, the indictment reflects the concept of war law. Kanar pointed to the lack of data and evidence and criticized the prosecutor's attitude of revenge against people with dissident opinions. (EKN/VK)