The president of the Turkish Medical Association has denied in court charges of spreading terrorist propaganda, calling for an investigation into allegations that the Turkish military used chemical weapons against Kurdish fighters, AP reports.

Dr. Sebnem Korur Fincanci, 63, went on trial on propaganda charges on behalf of the Kurdistan Workers' Party. She was arrested in October after she gave an interview in which she spoke of the need to effectively investigate the allegations.

Fincanci, a forensic expert, became the latest activist to be prosecuted under Turkey's sweeping anti-terrorism laws, which human rights groups say have led to a crackdown on freedom of expression. She faces up to seven and a half years in prison.

The charges are based on a recording of an interview with a pro-Kurdish media outlet where Fincanci is heard saying she watched a video showing the use of chemical weapons in Iraq. "What I expressed during the broadcast was a preliminary diagnostic. It was not a definitive conclusion but a request for an effective, independent investigation," she told the court. "My words cannot be considered a crime within the scope of science or freedom of expression."

The trial was adjourned until Dec. 29.

The interview followed claims by Kurdish rebels that the Turkish military used chemical weapons against the PKK in northern Iraq. Turkish officials denied the accusations, saying the military had no such weapons in service.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Fincanci of slandering the Turkish Armed Forces and insulting the country. He promised to take measures to purge the Turkish Medical Association and other professional organizations of "supporters of the terrorist organization."

A nationalist party affiliated with Erdogan's ruling party demanded that she be stripped of her Turkish citizenship and that her association be shut down.

Hundreds of people gathered outside the courthouse to show support for Fincanci, who has spent much of her career documenting torture and abuse and is a leading human rights activist in Turkey. She also served as president of the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey.