EYLEM SONBAHAR
Six people arrested during a public forum organized by the Workers' Party of Turkey (TİP) in Istanbul’s Gülhane Park have appeared in court, facing charges of participating in an “unauthorized assembly” and failing to disperse despite police warnings. The court lifted their travel bans and adjourned the case until Oct. 14.
The defendants were detained on April 10 during a forum held by TİP in Gülhane Park, a historic park in Istanbul’s Fatih district near key government institutions. The trial opened at the 30th Istanbul Criminal Court of First Instance, with the six defendants and their lawyers in attendance. Proceedings began an hour and a half later than scheduled.
One of the defendants, Esma Kara, said in her defense statement that she attended the forum in response to her party’s call. "I’m a TİP member. I went to Gülhane Park for a talk by Erkan Baş. There was no warning from the police to disperse. After the talk ended and we were leaving the park, we were surrounded and detained,” she said.
Kara’s lawyer, Ahmet Ekim, told the court he was also present at the event. “There was a talk by TİP’s chairman. There was no protest or press statement, but even if there had been, such activities are not subject to prior permission. My client, as a political party member, went to hear her party leader speak. Even if slogans were chanted, that is not a crime. In this case, there was no warning. Even if there had been, there is no crime,” he said, referencing an expert report which stated that police intervened while the crowd was already dispersing. “Why intervene when people are leaving?” he asked.
According to Ekim, 47 people were detained that day, but only six were brought to court with charges. “No investigation was launched against the other 41. This was a lawful political party activity. The police intervention was illegal,” he said, requesting that the travel ban on his client be lifted.
Another defendant, Selim Zeybek, also stated that he did not hear any warning from police. “I’m a TİP member. The talk had ended, and we were dispersing when the police surrounded us. I did nothing illegal,” he said.
Aziz Alecsandru Gurıta, another defendant, said in his defense statement: “As we were dispersing, the police encircled us without any warning and detained us. I request that judicial control measures against me be lifted.”
Gurıta’s lawyer, Altuğ Yalınbaş, argued that the material elements of the alleged offense had not been established. “My client Aziz is a Romanian citizen and is set to participate in the Erasmus program. We request the removal of the travel ban and his acquittal,” he said.
Another defendant, Çağdaş Uğur, stated: “I’m not a TİP member. I went to listen to the talk after seeing the announcement online. When the talk ended, the entrances and exits to the park were blocked without any warning. We were surrounded by police and prevented from leaving. I request acquittal.”
Uğur’s lawyer, Elif Akgül, told the court the event was lawful and that “the illegal act was committed by law enforcement officers.”
Özgür Urfa, the lawyer for Barış Sarı, argued that the detentions were arbitrary. “As the expert report shows, the elements of the alleged offense do not exist. Of the 47 people detained, no legal action was taken against 41 of them, even though their circumstances are the same. Our clients exercised their constitutional rights. We request their acquittal,” he said.
The judge ordered that the expert report be shown to the defendants, who briefly reviewed the photographs included in the file. Esma Kara said, “It’s not clear from the photos that the person shown is me, but I did attend the talk.” The other defendants echoed the same response.
The prosecutor requested that judicial control measures against the defendants be lifted and that the case file be returned to the prosecution to prepare the final opinion.
The court ruled to lift the international travel bans on all six defendants and sent the file to the prosecutor for the final opinion. The next hearing is scheduled for Oct. 14 at 11:15 a.m.
