EYLEM SONBAHAR
An Istanbul court lifted the travel bans imposed on all 139 defendants in the high-profile Saraçhane protest case during the first hearing, where multiple participants described alleged police violence and mistreatment during their arrest.
The case stems from protests held in December 2022 in Istanbul’s Saraçhane district following the sentencing of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, a prominent opposition figure. The demonstrators face charges of “participating in an unlawful assembly and failing to disperse despite warnings.” The first hearing took place at the Istanbul 49th Criminal Court of First Instance but was moved to a larger courtroom at the Istanbul 27th High Criminal Court due to the high number of defendants and limited capacity.
Among the 139 defendants is Berkay Gezgin, a member of the main opposition Republican People's Party’s (CHP) Party Assembly. Of the defendants, 102 had been detained on March 25 and released on April 10.
The hearing, which lasted seven hours, began with identity verification before defense attorneys requested immediate acquittal for all defendants—a request the presiding judge rejected.
One defendant, Alp Eren Alper, told the court, “Police suddenly detained me by force, handcuffed me, and pushed me face down on the ground. I don’t believe I did anything illegal. I request acquittal.” Another defendant, Arda Aksay, said he told police he was going home, only to be cursed at and detained.
A defendant broke into tears while describing being beaten for 30 to 40 minutes: “There was no police warning to disperse. My glasses fell, and while trying to pick them up, a police officer stepped on my hand. They insulted me, saying, ‘You think you can be a mother like this?’”
CHP official Berkay Gezgin said he was targeted without justification: “The indictment is baseless and has no legal foundation. It claims I didn’t disperse near Bozdoğan Aqueduct on March 23 despite police warnings. This is false. I was 1.5 kilometers away looking for my motorcycle when I was called over by a police officer. When I approached, he said, ‘Take him too.’ We were beaten on the ground during detention. I spent 17 days in pretrial detention and fell behind in my education. We committed no crime. I request acquittal.”
Another defendant, Elif Uzun, said she followed the route indicated by police but was still detained. “One officer said, ‘Take her too,’ and I was taken into custody.”
A psychologist among the defendants criticized the detention conditions, saying: “I don’t believe people who were left hungry and thirsty for hours can properly defend themselves before the Criminal Judgeship of Peace. I was deeply saddened to see young people who had neatly folded their blankets in custody treated this way.”
Another protester recounted being pepper sprayed at close range after being knocked down. “Other police officers were yelling, ‘You think this is Gezi, you terrorists,’ along with unspeakable insults,” the defendant said, referencing the 2013 Gezi Park protests.
A healthcare worker told the court a police officer recorded them on a personal phone while saying, “So you throw stones at police, huh?” The same defendant said, “It felt like we were being collected to meet some quota—either for the government or for the media.” On the bus to detention, a police officer allegedly commented, “Looks like we picked up a beggar, too.”
One female defendant said that as she was being detained, a police officer asked, “Do you have breasts?” She also described how, while receiving medical treatment, another officer told her, “If you don’t want to be here long, don’t talk.”
After a defense lawyer finished his remarks, other lawyers in the courtroom applauded and chanted, “The defense will not be silenced.” They also demanded that the identities and photos of all police officers deployed at Saraçhane on the day of the protest be added to the case file.
Another lawyer requested that police officers named in the file be brought to testify in court and that badge numbers of four officers listed in search and seizure reports be included in the case.
After a 20-minute recess, the prosecutor requested that travel bans be lifted only for defendants who had already given statements. However, the court decided to lift the international travel restrictions for all 139 defendants. It also ruled to evaluate the defense lawyers’ motions at the next hearing, which is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on June 30.
