Trial of nearly 200 people opens after Turkey protests

A trial of nearly 200 people arrested in protests against the Turkish government has opened in Istanbul.

Mass demonstrations began on 19 March after Istanbul’s mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu – a key rival of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan – was detained on corruption charges, which he denies.

Most of the 189 defendants in the trial, which opened on Friday at the Caglayan courthouse, are students, while eight are journalists.

Charges against them include taking part in illegal protests following a crackdown on public gatherings and failing to disperse despite warnings.

It marks the first trial of those arrested in the rallies. The Istanbul prosecutor’s office has said 819 people will be tried in 20 criminal investigations.

Penalties for the charges range from six months to five years imprisonment, according to Human Rights Watch.

One Istanbul University student, who was arrested for taking part in protests in the Saraçhane district of Istanbul and spent 20 days in prison, told BBC Turkish: “I hope they will turn back from this shame as soon as possible and decide today to acquit everyone.”

A second-year student from Mimar Sinan University, whose hearing was scheduled, said: “We have no fear, we are not the ones who should be afraid.”

According to information provided to BBC Turkish by the Parents Solidarity Network (PSN), which was established by the families of students, most of those arrested after 19 March were released in recent days but about 50 students remain in detention.

Before the hearings began on Friday, PSN member Avni Gündoğan said: “Our children were involved in a democratic, peaceful and legitimate action, they fought for this country to be a free and democratic country.”

The father of Yağmur Gündoğan, who was arrested, taken to Silivri Prison and released recently, said: “We have stood by our children and will continue to do so.

“The first hearing begins today. We want justice and a fair trial for our children.”

The journalists – including French AFP news agency reporter Yasin Akgül – were also detained on charges of “participating in unarmed meetings and marches against the law and not dispersing on their own despite warnings”.

On Friday, lawyer Veysel Ok asked the judge to acquit them on the grounds that they were reporting on, not participating, in the protests, the AFP news agency reported.

While the request was rejected, the Turkish Journalists Union (TGS) said on social media that the files of eight journalists had been separated from those of the students.

İmamoğlu was due to run for the presidency in 2028 elections. His supporters see his arrest as a political move by Erdoğan.

Despite the Istanbul governorship declaring a ban on demonstrations and gatherings throughout the province, hundreds of thousands of people participated in the protests.

Since 19 March, police have detained nearly 2,000 people – many of them university students.