The Turkish court refused to release the doctor who was tried in relation to chemical weapons

The arrest of the head of the Turkish Medical Association Şebnem Korur Fincanci in October on “terrorist” charges led to street protests – Copyright AFP Genya SAVILOV

Fulya ÖZERKAN

A Turkish court on Thursday refused to release a senior doctor facing years in prison for demanding an investigation into the military’s alleged use of chemical weapons against Kurdish fighters in Iraq.

The head of the Turkish Medical Association, Şebnem Korur Fincanci, was detained in October for using a television interview to cover allegations in media close to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

The militia said that 17 fighters died as a result of Turkey’s chemical weapons attacks in the mountains and caves in northern Iraq.

The PKK has been banned as a terrorist organization by Ankara and its Western allies for waging a bloody insurgency that has claimed tens of thousands of lives since 1984.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Fincanci “speaking the language of terror”, and the Ministry of Defense called this claim “slander”.

The 63-year-old forensic expert could face up to 7.5 years in prison if found guilty of promoting “terrorist propaganda”.

In the second week of the trial, Fincancit told the presiding judge that Erdogan’s comments made it impossible for the trial to be impartial.

“The president can call me a terrorist,” he said in the Istanbul courtroom.

“After this statement, how could state institutions and the judicial system make an independent decision?”

The judge concluded the hearing by sending the doctor back to prison and setting the next hearing for January 11.

– “Turkey’s bravest voice” –

Fincanci is known in Turkey as both a forensic expert and a human rights defender who has spoken out against Erdogan’s government.

His initial arrest led to protests in the streets of Istanbul that resulted in the arrest of dozens of people.

The Turkish Medical Association, chaired by him, covers about 80 percent of the country’s doctors.

But its past forays into the national political debate have seen a number of its senior members come under investigation.

The union said in a statement to reporters outside the courtroom that all 11 members of the executive committee are currently under formal investigation for potential “membership of a terrorist organization.”

“If I am a terrorist, I wonder which organization I am a terrorist,” Fincanji said in court.

“They treat me like the most dangerous suspect in the world to influence you,” he said.

Fincanci’s case received strong support from international legal groups as well as some European officials.

German human rights commissioner Luise Amtsberg called Fincanci “one of the bravest voices in Turkey.”

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch joined five other organizations in calling for Fincanci’s release pending trial.