JINHA

NEWS CENTER - Eight activists were arrested in September 2015 during the setting up of the DSEI arms fair in London. DSEI is one of the biggest arms fairs in the world. Delegates from various countries, including Turkey, were invited to DSEI to do deals with arms companies. The trial of eight activists was ended yesterday.

Activists attempted to blockade deliveries of military equipment to the exhibition by chaining themselves to the gates of the arms fair and blocking the roads surrounding DSEI. The trial of 8 activists, who were arrested after trying to stop the DSEI arms fair, ended today. The defendants argued in court that they blockaded the arms fair to try to prevent greater crimes. A press statement was released about the trial of eight activists.
The statement reads;

“The judge heard evidence of human rights abuses carried out by Turkey on Kurdish civilians. The court heard evidence about the brutality of Turkey against its Kurdish population. The Turkish state has declared 63 open-ended, round-the-clock curfews on many Kurdish cities since August 2015, using snipers, tanks and rockets to repress civilians, killing hundreds and internally displacing hundreds of thousands.

Lisa, a Kurdish solidarity activist and a defendant in the court case, stated, “The DSEI arms fair is one of the biggest weapons exhibitions in the world. Arms companies were doing deals with Turkey at DSEI whilst Cizre and Sur were under curfew. Turkey's police and military were terrorising its Kurdish population with bullets, rockets, tanks, helicopters and surveillance drones. I blockaded DSEI to try to stop the arms dealers from profiting from the deaths of our Kurdish friends. The international media remains largely silent about the atrocities carried out by the state of Turkey, but activists in the UK will continue to raise awareness of the Kurdish struggle.”

In 2015, Turkey sent a government and military delegation to DSEI arms fair to shop for weapons which could be used on Kurdish civilians. The UK government identified Turkey as a 'priority market' for UK arms exports in 2015.

The Turkish government's Defence and Aerospace Industry Exporter's Association (SSI) was DSEI's 'International Partner'. Turkey is keen to promote itself as a key exporter of arms, and Turkish companies such as Roketsan and Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) were showcasing their weapons to the world's arms dealers and war criminals.

Defendant Susannah stated, “It was a privilege to stand in solidarity with Kurdish people, and I know that one day you'll be free. The YPJ has been a big inspiration for me.”

The other seven defendants stated that they tried to prevent the deaths of civilians in countries such as Yemen and Bahrain. Defendant Javier stated, “There were people from the UK, Bahrain, Belgium, Peru and Chile involved in the action against the DSEI arms fair. The arms trade is a global trade, and resistance also needs to be global and it sees no borders.”

The eight activists have been acquitted them of all charges by the judge.

(gd)