NALİN ÖZTEKİN
In a case involving members of the Socialist Laborers Party (SEP) who were detained during an election campaign ahead of Turkey's general elections, defense lawyer Cem Gürbüz requested that the court file a criminal complaint against law enforcement officers for "overstepping their authority." The case concerns eight SEP members, including party leader Güneş Gümüş, who were detained by police in Ankara while campaigning. The second hearing took place at Ankara's 38th Criminal Court of First Instance, where Gürbüz represented some of the defendants.
The defendants are charged with violating Turkey’s Law No. 2911 on Public Meetings and Demonstrations. The defense requested that police officers, present in the courtroom armed, be removed, which the judge granted. Lawyer Gürbüz argued that the police intervention was politically motivated and exceeded legal authority, calling for an investigation into the officers involved.
Gökçe Şentürk, one of the detained SEP members, testified first. She denied the charges in the indictment, stating, "We were detained before we even began distributing flyers. Other political parties were able to campaign freely, while we were targeted because we are socialists. Despite informing the police officers of the Supreme Election Council’s rulings, our right to engage in propaganda was still obstructed." She emphasized that there were no public complaints or disruptions to traffic, contrary to what the indictment claimed.
In his defense statement, lawyer Gürbüz highlighted that his clients were merely exercising their constitutional right to engage in election activities. He accused the police of illegally interfering in these activities and demanded that the court investigate the officers responsible for the detentions. Gürbüz also contested additional charges of damaging public property, pointing out that no evidence had been presented to substantiate these claims, noting the absence of surveillance footage or credible testimony from the police officers involved.
The court postponed the trial to January 27, 2025, to allow time for further evidence to be gathered and for SEP leader Güneş Gümüş to testify as a witness.
