İBB Employee Şafak Duran’s Organization Membership Case Decision
İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality Social Worker Sentenced to 7 Years and 6 Months for Alleged Links to PKK
Şafak Duran, a social worker at the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, has been sentenced to 7 years and 6 months in prison on charges of having photos of gunmen with members of the terrorist organization PKK. Duran has been held in pre-trial detention since the allegations surfaced.
The verdict was issued by the Istanbul 32nd High Criminal Court, where Duran and her lawyers were present during the hearing. The prosecutor reiterated their opinion from the previous hearing that Duran should be punished for being a member of an armed terrorist organization. In her final defense, Duran claimed that she had never been involved with any guns or organizations in her life. She explained that her inability to take a final exam, which was mentioned by the prosecutor in their opinion, was due to family issues and that she had taken a two-year break from her education.
Duran emphatically voiced her belief in justice and requested her acquittal and immediate release. Her lawyers also disagreed with the prosecutor’s opinion, arguing that their client was being unjustly punished based on unlawful evidence. They maintained that Duran’s temporary disuse of her phone and absence from exams were unrelated to her alleged membership in the organization.
Nevertheless, the court concluded that Duran was guilty of being a member of an organization and upheld her sentence of 7 years and 6 months in prison. Duran will remain in detention as her appeal process continues.
This case highlights the challenge of proving one’s innocence in a system where being associated with an armed terrorist organization can carry severe consequences. As Duran continues to fight for justice, the spotlight remains on the fairness and transparency of the judicial process.
