At trial for attending Ankara Station bombing commemoration, defendants say police intervened without warning
In the trial of 17 people charged with "violating the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations" for attending a commemoration of the victims of the 2015 Ankara Station bombing, defendants testified that police detained them without warning. The third hearing was held at the Ankara 33rd Criminal Court of First Instance, where eight of the defendants attended with their lawyers.
The defendants explained that they went to the 10 October commemoration after seeing calls on social media and were arrested by police without being given the chance to disperse. They also criticized the indictment as being indistinguishable from the police report. None of the defendants accepted the option for a suspended sentence.
Defense lawyer Ümran Hakverdi stated that they would present their full defense once the procedural gaps are addressed. The trial was adjourned to January 16, 2025.
