Announcing its interlocutory judgement, the court has ruled that Yiğit Aksakoğlu shall be released on probation with an international travel ban and the arrest of Osman Kavala shall continue. The next hearing will be held on July 18, 2019.
The 16-defendant Gezi trial has started today. While Osman Kavala has stood before the judge on the 601st day of his arrest, Aksakoğlu has appeared in court after 220 days. They have made their defense against the indictment.
Location: Point Hotel Taksim
Date: 19 June 2019, Wednesday
Hour: 4:00-8:00 PM
As civil society organisations, to what extent are we able to exercise our rights to freedom of expression, assembly and association? To what extent are we able to defend these rights which are at the core of civil society activities and are secured by domestic and international law?
Academics have gathered for Prof. Füsun Üstel whose 15-month prison term for signing the Peace Declaration was approved by the court of appeals.
Academics have gathered for Prof. Füsun Üstel, a signatory of the Peace Declaration whose 15-month prison term was approved by the İstanbul Regional Court of Justice 3rd Penal Chamber.
The 32nd High Criminal Court in Ankara delivered a shameful decision today in the case where the Central Council Members of the Turkish Medical Association (TMA) for the term 2016-2018 were tried for their declaration titled “War is a Public Health Problem.” The court also referred in its decision to the declaration made on 1 September 2016 titled “It is Quite Possible to Live in Peace and Equality on this Land” and sentenced 11 central council members to 10 months of imprisonment for each of the declarations mentioned above on the ground of “provoking the public to ha
Indictment of Civic Leader Osman Kavala, 15 Others, in Gezi Park Case
An indictment accusing the civic leader Osman Kavala and 15 others of financing and organizing mass protests in Turkey in 2013 in an attempt to overthrow the government provides no credible evidence of criminal activity, Human Rights Watch said today. The May-June 2013 Gezi Park demonstrations and sit-in, in Istanbul’s Taksim Square, led hundreds of thousands of people to exercise their right to peaceful protest in cities throughout Turkey.
Gönül Öztürkoğlu, a human rights defender and the president of the Malatya branch of İnsan Hakları Derneği (İHD – Human Rights Association), has been held in pre-trial detention in Turkey for over three months. Öztürkoğlu is charged with acting ‘in junction with a terrorist organization [PKK]’ for her work conducted on behalf of İHD, and faces a long jail sentence.
The second of hearing the trial of Executive Council Members, 2016-2018, period was held before the 32 Assize Court in Ankara. The hearing commenced at 09.00 on 20 March 2019, Wednesday. The Executive Council members appeared at the court for issuing a statement “War is a Threat to Public Health.” The panel of judges decided to hold the next hearing at 09.15 on 3 May 2019, Friday. The trial adjourned until 3 May since TTB lawyers submitted a motion to the Chief Public Prosecutor that indicates the public prosecutor acted in a contrary manner to the law and mandate.
On 3 March 2019, the Istanbul Regional Court of Justice announced its first decision on appeal against academics for signing the “We will not be party to this crime!” (Bu Suça Ortak Olmayacağız) peace petition prepared by Academics for Peace (Barış için Akademisyenler). In this ruling, the Court upheld an imprisonment sentence of one year and three months for Zübeyde Füsun Üstel, a political scientist retired from Galatasaray University. This ruling is the first to have exhausted all local remedies.
The investigation concerning the Gezi protests of 2013 has been concluded, and 16 persons, including Osman Kavala and Yiğit Aksakoğlu, who have both been detained pending trial, were indicted. It has been announced that the indictment was accepted on March 4, 2019 by Istanbul 30th High Criminal Court and the first hearing will be held on June 24-25, 2019.