The trial of the Mayor of Hakkari, Akış, has begun

The final hearing of the trial in which the Mayor of Hakkari, Mehmet Sıddık Akış, is being judged has begun. In the context of an investigation conducted by the Hakkari Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, Mehmet Sıddık Akış, who was taken into custody and replaced by Hakkari Governor Ali Çelik, is being judged at the Hakkari 1st Heavy Penal Court. While only Akış attended the trial where 14 people are being judged, the session started after the identification process.
During the trial, Akış, in his defense, stated that the prosecutor, police officers, and judge of that period were affiliated with FETÖ (Fethullahist Terrorist Organization) and that the case file they prepared was political. He said, ‘I am saying that the file being discussed today is also political. I stand tall. I am 53 years old, I have been fighting for years, and I will continue to fight. I heard news about me fleeing, I never attempted to escape. I stand behind everything I have done, I have done everything politically necessary. I stand before you with my head held high. I have always advocated for peace, brotherhood, justice, equality, and freedom. I have built my whole life around these principles, and I will continue to do so. I am not afraid of being arrested, of going to prison. I stand before you with my head held high. I am not requesting acquittal or release from you’.
At the end of his defense, Akış requested the preparation of a new indictment, saying, ‘Why wasn’t the trial held 4 months, a year ago, and is now taking place? I know that this trial is political. I have fulfilled my duty for our people without touching a single penny with honor.’ Following Akış, the lawyers started to present their defense.
Police officers took extensive security measures in front of the courthouse, while the waiting of the party members continues.