MLSA - In the trial of 120 people detained during protests following the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, a police officer testifying as a witness admitted that police officers recorded an official report without seeing any protest ban order issued by the governor’s office. The court lifted judicial control measures for six defendants during the second hearing of the trial on Tuesday.
The defendants, including three lawyers, are being tried for allegedly participating in an “unlawful assembly and march” during a protest that took place on March 27 outside Cevahir Shopping Mall in Istanbul’s central Şişli district. The demonstration had been organized in response to a wave of investigations into the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and the detention of İmamoğlu, who was also the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) candidate for president.
In this session, held at the Istanbul 71st Criminal Court of First Instance, police officers who took part in the detentions were called to testify.
Tensions rise between defense lawyers and judge over police testimony
During the hearing, one defense lawyer asked a testifying police officer whether he had witnessed any instances of people being beaten. The officer began to respond, “Nothing happened during the encirclement, but during the arrests…” before the judge cut him off. Lawyers protested, accusing the judge of interrupting a potentially critical statement. “The witness was about to say there might have been beatings during the arrests, and you interrupted. This is grounds for recusal,” a lawyer said. The judge replied, “You may submit a request, and we’ll evaluate it.”
When asked whether the police had been notified of an official ban on the protest, the witness replied, “No.” Defense lawyers then questioned how officers could justify writing a report based on an order they had not seen.
In a related development, the Istanbul Police Department’s Security Branch reportedly submitted documentation to the court indicating that there was no formal protest ban issued by the governor’s office on that day.
“We used reverse handcuffing,” says police witness
Another controversial detail emerged when the police witness was asked whether they received specific instructions on how to use handcuffs. The officer responded, “We used reverse handcuffing; that is the standard procedure.”
Following the testimonies, the judge called a recess to deliberate on an interim decision.
Court lifts judicial controls for six defendants
After the break, the court announced that it was lifting the judicial control measures placed on six defendants who had not yet testified in the previous hearing. The next session of the trial is scheduled for April 27 at 9:30 a.m.
