Halise Aksoy not released
The trial of Halise Aksoy, who came to public attention for her reaction to the delivery of her son's bones in a box following his death in an armed conflict in Dersim in 2017, where she is being charged with "membership in a terrorist organization," was held today at the 10th Heavy Penal Court in Diyarbakır. Aksoy was not released in this first hearing of the case.
According to a report in Artı Gerçek, Halise Aksoy, who was arrested on April 28 as part of the investigation conducted by the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and faced charges of "membership in a terrorist organization" with a prison sentence ranging from 7 to 15 years.
The indictment, which alleges that Aksoy is "affiliated" with the organization due to her son Agit İpek, who was killed, and Ş.İ., who is alleged to have "joined the organization," states that "... the suspect conducted activities within the organization as confirmed by the witness statements mentioned above, she was identified as a 'family of value' by the organization due to the continued activities of her children in the rural areas and her direct connection with the organization..."
The next hearing will be held on January 12, 2024.
"Would a human being do such a thing?
"Would a human being do such a thing?" Halise Aksoy's son, Agit İpek, lost his life in a conflict in Dersim in 2017. On April 10, 2020, İpek's bones were delivered to Aksoy in a box.
Aksoy had shared her experience during the "Experiences and Testimonies: Families Speak About Violence Against the Dead" panel organized by the Initiative for Respect to the Deceased and Justice on April 25, 2022:
"... Two weeks later, we went to the courthouse again. This time, there were two different people at the door, and they didn't cause much trouble. They told us, 'It's prohibited, no one is working inside.' We politely requested, and they allowed us to enter. "Then they directed us to the custody section and told us that our belongings were there. We went, and there was a woman and a man sitting at a table. There was nothing on the table, but the box containing Agit's bones was under the table at their feet. They asked if I had my ID, took my ID, and then said, 'Sign here.' I said, 'Okay, I will sign, but what is this custody?' I asked.
"Agit's bones had arrived. The children with me asked where they were. They pointed with their fingers and said, 'Here it is.' I leaned over from where I was sitting and saw the box, but I said to myself, 'This can't be, a human can't do such a thing.'
"The children who were with me asked again where they were. They lifted the cardboard and placed it on the table. I froze at that moment, I just stayed there.
"Would a human being do such a thing? A person cannot do these things. If they have no respect for us, they should have respect for our funerals or our bones, but they have no respect."