EYLEM SONBAHAR
Sixteen individuals detained during a February 3, 2022 protest organized by the Solidarity Initiative with Prisoners in front of the Yenibosna Forensic Medicine Institute have been acquitted. The protest, aimed at advocating for the release of ill prisoners, was dispersed by police, and the detainees were charged with “violating the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations” under Article 2911. The eighth hearing took place at the Bakırköy 51st Criminal Court of First Instance.
During the hearing, the prosecutor referenced a December 23, 2023, expert report analyzing video footage, which showed that the protesters were surrounded by police shields and that the first warning announcement was made only after this. The prosecutor noted that the video did not establish that a dispersal announcement was made before the protesters were encircled by police. He argued that the defendants were taken directly to the police station without being allowed to disperse, and there was insufficient evidence to prove they had resisted dispersal.
The prosecutor requested acquittal, and the court ruled in favor of acquitting all 16 defendants, citing that "the legal elements of the offense were not established."
