Turkey: Ünal Yiğit, Imprisoned Partisan, sentenced to 35 years in prison

Featured image: Ünal Yiğit. Source: Yeni Demokrasi

Yeni Demokrasi reports that Imprisoned Partisan Ünal Yiğit was sentenced to 35 years in prison for seven allegations, including “being a member of an illegal organization”. His lawyer has objected the ruling by the Istanbul 29th High Criminal Court to the Court of Appeal.

It is also denounced that his right to defense was denied by forcing him to participate through a video call while he was held in Marmara Prison, in the Silivri district of Istanbul. Ünal Yiğit argued that he could not make a proper defense through the video call, but the judge disregarded his plea saying that he could “sit down and receive his sentence”, admitting that the verdict was already set before his defense was made.

It was reported that Ünal Yiğit was offered individual transportation to the court house, which he did not accept. We have previously reported on prisoners being tortured by the old Turkish State while being transported between different prisons.

Ünal Yiğit was detained and arrested in an operation in 2020. He was released after approximately one year, but was arrested again in April 2023. All the other defendants in the case have been acquitted.