Rabia Çetin
The first hearing in the trial of 90 young people detained for participating in protests in Istanbul’s Saraçhane and Beyazıt districts has been postponed due to inadequate courtroom space. The trial was prompted by demonstrations held after the annulment and subsequent arrest of Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu over alleged irregularities with his university diploma.
The defendants, who were arrested in home raids, are charged with violating Turkey’s Law on Meetings and Demonstrations. Although the trial was initially scheduled to be held at the Istanbul 65th Criminal Court of First Instance, the high number of defendants and limited space led to the hearing being moved to the courtroom of the 13th High Criminal Court. However, even that venue was deemed insufficient, prompting the court to adjourn the trial.
Heavy security and access restrictions at courthouse
Tight security measures were in place around the Istanbul Courthouse in the Çağlayan district. Many journalists and defendants were denied entry. Zeynep Kuray, a journalist who is also on trial in a separate case stemming from the same protests, posted on social media that police prevented her from entering the building. Kuray had been detained while covering the Saraçhane protest.
In a dramatic moment, one of the defendants was detained again at the courthouse entrance while trying to attend the hearing.
Bar association president denounces prosecution as unlawful
Istanbul Bar Association President İbrahim Kaboğlu, who was the first to speak in court, criticized the indictment as lacking legal basis. “We are facing a blanket indictment,” he said. “There are 90 defendants. One or two were arrested due to social media posts; the rest were taken from their homes because of Saraçhane. Whether they were detained in the square, from their schools, or their beds, none of these arrests were justified.”
Kaboğlu also accused police officers of using excessive force against him during the protests. “As the president of the Istanbul Bar Association, all I did was walk from one part of the courthouse to another,” he told the court. “But the police attacked me and cracked one of my ribs. I am filing a criminal complaint here today against the officers involved.”
He also criticized what he called the arbitrary enforcement of Law No. 2911, which governs public assemblies and demonstrations in Turkey. “A meeting, demonstration, or march may be unauthorized, but that does not justify the use of police violence. Even under the worst interpretation of this law, detention would still be unlawful,” Kaboğlu said.
Request for immediate acquittal denied
Defense lawyers, along with Kaboğlu, requested immediate acquittal for all defendants. The prosecutor opposed the motion, stating, “We will present our opinion on the merits after hearing from all the defendants.” The court rejected the acquittal request.
Kaboğlu responded by reiterating that the defendants' right to a fair trial was being violated: “Because the court did not immediately rule on procedural grounds for acquittal, we are witnessing a breach of the right to a fair trial. We therefore request the hearing be postponed until a fair environment can be ensured.”
All defense attorneys echoed concerns over the courtroom’s inadequate conditions and called for a postponement until appropriate accommodations could be arranged.
Case split into two, next hearing scheduled for July 4
Citing the high number of defendants and lack of sufficient courtroom space, the court decided to split the case and register the first 45 defendants under a separate case file. The court also ordered a formal request to the Istanbul Governor’s Office to identify legally designated protest areas. The trial is scheduled to resume on July 4 at 10 a.m.
