As part of the long-running campaign for 11 revolutionaries from Turkey who imprisoned in Greece, on Saturday, April 9, in Athens, the Greek capital, an international symposium was held with the title LAW TERROR OF IMPERIALISM, THE RIGHT TO A FAIR TRIAL AND POLITICAL PRISONERS.
22 speakers from countries such as Greece, Germany, Italy, France, Canada, Turkey and Palestine attended the symposium held at Athens University Faculty of Law.
In the symposium, which lasted for one day and was held in 3 sessions, the “anti-terrorism laws” that imperialism used as a weapon to take over the resisting peoples and the legal terror it inflicted by applying these laws; The violations of the right to a fair trial in Turkey, Greece and elsewhere in the world, and the unlawfulness and injustice experienced during the trial process of the 11 revolutionaries from Turkey were discussed. In addition, the death fast resistance that Sibel Balaç and Gökhan Yıldırım continued with the demand for a fair trial and the demands of the resistance were also explained at the symposium.
In the 1st session of the symposium titled Political Trials and Fair Trial, lawyer Günay Dağ from the HHB International Bureau, Patrikos Patrikounakos, one of the lawyers of the 11s from Greece, Michela Arricale, one of the Democratic Lawyers from Italy, Liliana Ciorra from the Berkin Elvan Cultural Center from Italy, from Greece Stavros Manikas from Transport Workers’ Union attended as a speaker. The head of ELDH from Germany, Attorney Thomas Schmidt, and the lawyer of Sibel Balaç and Gökhan Yıldırım from Turkey, Ceren Yılmaz, attended this session as speakers by videoconferencing, and Ali Ercan Gökoğlu, one of the prisoner 11, was also connected by phone.
In the 2 Sessions titled Political Prisoners and Prisons, Fausto Marini, a former prisoner of the Red Brigades organization from Italy, and a representative from the Palestinian Prisoners Solidarity Network attended. In addition, Thanos Hatziangelou, one of the Greek political prisoners in Koridallos prison, and Halil Demir from the prisoner 11 were also connected to the symposium by phone. For Ahmed Saadat and George İbrahim Abdallah, on behalf of the committee, Charlotte Κates attended the symposium from Canada by videoconference. In addition, a video sent on behalf of the Freedom for George Ibrahim Abdallah Committee was also published in this session.
In the 3rd Session titled Legal Terrorism of Imperialism, Anti-terrorism Laws and the Trial of 11s, Fabio Marcelli from Italy on behalf of Democrat Lawyers, Dimitris Sarafianos from Greece, one of the 11’s lawyers, Athens Bar Board Member Thanasis Kampagiannis on behalf of Alternative Lawyers Group and Voula Yiannakopoulou and a representative from the Solidarity Assembly for Political Prisoners and Imprisoned Fighters attended as speakers. In addition, Şadi Naci Özpolat, one of the 11’s from Turkey, made a speech by making a phone call from the prison he was in.
In the hall where the symposium was held, pictures of 11 Turkish revolutionaries imprisoned in Greece, information on who they were and why they were imprisoned, and banners reading “The Struggle Against Imperialism and Fascism Is Not a Crime” and “Freedom for 11 Revolutionaries from Turkey” were hung. In addition, a large banner reading “The Struggle Against Imperialism and Fascism Is Not a Crime”, “Freedom for 11 Revolutionaries from Turkey” in Turkish, Greek and English, and a banner about the death fast resistance of Sibel Balaç and Gökhan Yıldırım were hung outside the hall. About 120 people attended the symposium, where messages of support and solidarity from the Greek left and their captives were also read.
