- A prosecutor has asked a court to sentence Yunus Kılıç on charges of “insulting the president” over slogans chanted during a pro-Palestinian protest held in Istanbul’s Şişhane Square.
- At the latest hearing, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan—listed in the case as the “victim”—was represented by his lawyer, who said their complaint stood and requested Kılıç be punished.
MLSA - The third hearing in the case against Kılıç, who attended the March 30 demonstration organized by the group “A Thousand Youth for Palestine” in Istanbul’s Beyoğlu district, was held on April 6 at the Istanbul 27th Criminal Court of First Instance. Both Kılıç’s lawyer and Erdoğan’s lawyer were present.
The prosecutor argued that slogans chanted during the protest fall within the scope of the offense of “insulting the president” and requested a conviction on that charge.
Kılıç’s lawyer said they did not agree with the prosecutor’s opinion and requested time to submit a response to the expert report as well as their defense statements on the merits. The court granted the request and adjourned the hearing until June 18 at 2:03 p.m.
Background of the case
According to the indictment, a group gathered at Şişhane Square following a call by “A Thousand Youth for Palestine” and held a demonstration in support of Palestine. The call to protest stated: “This land is ours; on March 30, Land Day, we are raising the voice of a free Palestine in the squares.”
A police report said that slogans were chanted during the protest alleging that President Erdoğan was cooperating with Israel.
As part of the investigation, Kılıç was detained on June 3 and referred to the prosecutor’s office the following day. In his defense statement, he said he attended the protest of his own free will and joined because he was disturbed by trade relations with Israel.
The prosecutor referred Kılıç to the Criminal Judgeship of Peace with a request for arrest. The Istanbul 9th Criminal Judgeship of Peace ruled on June 4 to place him under judicial control instead.
The Justice Ministry’s General Directorate of Criminal Affairs authorized prosecution on Nov. 22 on the charge of “insulting the president.” The indictment was then prepared and the trial began.
Land Day, commemorated annually on March 30, marks Palestinians killed during protests in 1976 against the confiscation of their land. Demonstrations erupted after Israel seized around 20,000 dunams of Palestinian land in the Galilee region; six people were killed and hundreds were injured in the ensuing crackdown.
