Trial of 35 Young People Arrested in Protest Against the Detention of İmamoğlu Held
In the first hearing of the case involving 35 young people who were detained by security forces during a protest marking the 100th day of the detention of Ekrem İmamoğlu, Mayor of Istanbul and candidate of the Republican People’s Party of Turkey (CHP), the Istanbul Criminal Court ordered the release of 13 of the detainees. However, 7 of them will remain in custody due to facing a separate charge of “insulting the President.”
The session was held in one of the High Criminal Court branches in Istanbul and was dedicated to examining charges related to “violating the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations.” As the presiding judge of the case was on leave, the duty judge took over the proceedings and, while ordering the release of 13 defendants, confirmed the continued detention of 7 others until the second case is heard on September 19.
During the trial, several defendants spoke of violent treatment by police officers at the time of their arrest. They reported being beaten, threatened, subjected to reverse handcuffing, and sustaining physical injuries. However, some of these injuries were not recorded in the initial medical reports — an issue that led to objections from the defendants and their request for a re-examination.
A journalist from one of the newspapers, who was present at the protest site to cover the event, stated that despite presenting their press card, police officers refused to look at it and arrested them violently. This journalist is currently being tried without detention.
The court session was attended by the defendants’ families, defense lawyers, representatives of the CHP, and members of the Istanbul Bar Association. Defense lawyers, while objecting to the trial process, demanded that the case be referred to the Constitutional Court to examine its compatibility with constitutional principles.
The next hearing, to address the charge of “insulting the President,” will be held on September 19.
