This article is from the source 'washpo' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/civil-society-figures-back-in-court-in-turkey-protest-trial/2020/02/18/59111dfe-520e-11ea-80ce-37a8d4266c09_story.html

The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
Major trial of govt opponents speeds toward end in Turkey Turkish court acquits 9 civil activists of terror charges
(about 2 hours later)
ISTANBUL — The trial of 16 leading members of Turkish civil society, seen by critics as a momentous bid by the government to crack down on opposition voices and criminalize mass anti-government protests, moved toward a hasty conclusion Tuesday. ISTANBUL — A court in Istanbul on Tuesday acquitted nine leading Turkish civil society activists of terrorism-related charges in relation to anti-government protests, including philanthropist Osman Kavala.
The defendants, among them jailed philanthropist Osman Kavala, are on trial for attempting or aiding in an attempt to overthrow the government in the Gezi Park protests in 2013. The trial of 16 leading activists was seen by critics as a momentous bid by the government to crack down on opposition voices and criminalize mass anti-government protests. The defendants were accused of organizing anti-government protests in an attempt to overthrow the government in 2013.
Those began as a demonstration to protect a small park in central Istanbul from being redeveloped as an Ottoman-style shopping mall but grew into a wider protest movement across Turkey, challenging Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was the prime minister and is now Turkey’s president. The court ruled that Kavala, the sole defendant still in jail, should be freed. The trial against seven other defendants, some of who escaped overseas, will continue.
The trial was taking place Tuesday in a courthouse near the Silivri maximum security prison campus, on the outskirts of Istanbul. Rights groups, lawmakers and hundreds of supporters arrived to observe the trial. Many burst into applause when Kavala entered the courtroom. The protests began to protect a small park in central Istanbul from being redeveloped as an Ottoman-style shopping mall but grew into a wider protest movement across Turkey, challenging Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was Turkey’s prime minister at the time and is now Turkey’s president.
The prosecutor is seeking a sentence of life in solitary confinement without parole for Kavala, architect Mucella Yapici and Yigit Aksakoglu, who works on early childhood development and spent 221 days in pretrial detention. They reject the accusation that they tried to overthrow the government and say the protests were an exercise of democratic rights. The trial took place Tuesday in a courthouse near the Silivri maximum security prison campus on the outskirts of Istanbul. Rights groups, lawmakers and hundreds of supporters arrived to observe the trial. Many burst into applause when Kavala entered the courtroom.
Yapici, who is a member of Taksim Solidarity, a platform working for the area’s urban issues, has already been tried for her involvement in the protests on other charges and was acquitted in 2015. The prosecutor had been seeking a life sentence in solitary confinement without parole for Kavala, architect Mucella Yapici and Yigit Aksakoglu, who works on early childhood development and spent 221 days in pretrial detention. They rejected the accusation that they tried to overthrow the government and say the protests were simply an exercise of democratic rights.
Observers have interpreted the prosecutor’s final sentencing judgment, delivered earlier this month seeking harsh penalties, as a sign that the trial will be put on the fast track. Yapici, who is a member of Taksim Solidarity, a group working for the area’s urban issues, has already been tried for her involvement in the protests on other charges and was acquitted in 2015.
Sezgin Tanrikulu, an opposition lawmaker, told The Associated Press he believes the court could deliver a verdict soon in order to bypass a European Court of Human Rights ruling to immediately release Kavala.
“They are trying to reach a verdict without hearing the defense and without gathering evidence,” he said.
Defense lawyers say their witnesses have yet to be heard and that the evidence has not been adequately presented. The prosecutor asked that demands to hear the witnesses on Tuesday be rejected. The court agreed.Defense lawyers say their witnesses have yet to be heard and that the evidence has not been adequately presented. The prosecutor asked that demands to hear the witnesses on Tuesday be rejected. The court agreed.
The prosecutor is also demanding 15 to 20 years in prison for six other defendants, among them filmmakers, a lawyer and an urban planner, for aiding an attempted overthrow. The remaining seven defendants, who are abroad, should be separately tried, the prosecutor said. All 16 are accused of “terror crimes.” The prosecutor was also demanding 15 to 20 years in prison for six other defendants, among them filmmakers, a lawyer and an urban planner, for aiding an attempted overthrow.
Kavala is the sole defendant still jailed, arrested four years after the protests and in pretrial detention for 840 days. In the December ruling, the Strasbourg-court said that Kavala’s right to liberty was violated by a lack of reasonable suspicion, and that the extended detention served “the ulterior purpose of reducing him to silence” with a “chilling effect on civil society.” Kavala was arrested four years after the protests and held in pretrial detention for 840 days. In the December ruling, the Strasbourg-court European Court of Human Rights said that Kavala’s right to liberty was violated by a lack of reasonable suspicion, and that his extended detention served “the ulterior purpose of reducing him to silence” with a “chilling effect on civil society.”
The 63-year-old is a businessperson and the founder of a nonprofit institution that focuses on cultural and artistic projects for peace and dialogue called Anadolu Kultur. Kavala has maintained that he took part in peaceful activities to defend the environment and the park, which is near his office, and rejects the accusation that he organized and financed the protests. The 63-year-old is a businessperson and the founder of a nonprofit institution that focuses on cultural and artistic projects for peace and dialogue called Anadolu Kultur.
The prosecution argues the group acted under the directives of Kavala to organize and plan the protests, saying the events escalated through social media. “The goal was to ignite the fuse of violence through marginal groups and terror organizations, create chaos, and so that is what happened,” the prosecutor wrote. He cited phone calls between the defendants, civil society events that some attended abroad, meetings, a play and Twitter hashtags as evidence. Kavala has maintained that he took part in peaceful activities to defend the environment and the park, which is near his office, and rejected the accusation that he organized and financed the protests.
The 657-page indictment from March 2019 also alleges that billionaire U.S. philanthropist George Soros, who is at the heart of many conspiracy theories in Turkey and abroad, was active in the “Gezi insurrection” with links to Kavala, but he is not listed among the suspects. President Erdogan has called Kavala the “Red Soros,” saying he funded “terrorists” in the protests.
“The prosecution’s arguments have relied on conspiracy theories, not evidence,” said David Diaz-Jogeix of freedom of expression organization Article 19, echoing a major argument by the defense lawyers, who say the indictment lacks inculpatory evidence. “Along with numerous irregularities in the court proceedings, the defendants have not received a fair trial.”
The defense lawyers have questioned the independence of the court, amid accusations of legal misconduct. In the last hearing in January, dozens of lawyers walked out in protest after the committee of three judges refused to recuse itself. The lawyers’ demand for the recusal came after the judges heard testimony of a key witness twice, without the presence of the defense team, which they say was unlawful.
An estimated 3.6 million people joined the Gezi Park protests, according to government estimates, and thousands were injured. Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse mostly peaceful protesters and have been criticized for excessive force.An estimated 3.6 million people joined the Gezi Park protests, according to government estimates, and thousands were injured. Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse mostly peaceful protesters and have been criticized for excessive force.
The Turkish Bar Association puts the number of killed in the unrest at 15, including a police officer, but the prosecutor’s indictment against the defendants says five were killed. The discrepancy stems from the inclusion of heart attacks and cerebral hemorrhages thought to be caused by pepper spray, as well as those killed in other protests during the same period.The Turkish Bar Association puts the number of killed in the unrest at 15, including a police officer, but the prosecutor’s indictment against the defendants says five were killed. The discrepancy stems from the inclusion of heart attacks and cerebral hemorrhages thought to be caused by pepper spray, as well as those killed in other protests during the same period.
“The millions who took to the streets to use their democratic rights are being judged,” Yapici, the architect on trial, said at a news conference last week.
Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.