Prosecutor seeks jail term for PKK leader's lawyers

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An İstanbul prosecutor has demanded jail terms of up to 15 years for four lawyers who acted as attorneys of Abdullah Öcalan, leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Announcing their opinion as to the accusations at a hearing today (February 20) at the İstanbul 33rd Heavy Penal court, the prosecutor alleged that the lawyers had been conveying Öcalan's messages to the "legal organization" of the PKK under the guise of an attorney-client relationship.

The Asrın Law Office, where the lawyers are employed, was "allocated to the PKK's activities" and the lawyers were engaged in "terrorist activities," the prosecutor further alleged.

The prosecutor demanded a jail sentence of from 7.5 to 15 years for four lawyers on charge of "being a member of an armed terrorist organization" and the acquittal of four other lawyers.

The court adjourned the case to give time to the defendants and their attorneys to prepare their defenses.

According to the indictment, Öcalan had given instructions to the lawyers during their visits to the İmralı High-Security Prison on September 12 and November 28, 2007.

Names of the defendant lawyers are Ali Maden, Baran Doğan, Cengiz Yürekli, İnan Akmeşe, Mahmut Taşçı, Mehmet Selim Okçuoğlu, Rezan Sarıca and Suat Eren. (TY/VK)