The verdict of the trial of the Gezi park in Istanbul, which had been the scene in 2013 of an anti-government sling, was released on Tuesday, February 18. The 16 accused were acquitted. This unexpected decision was announced after an emblematic trial of the erosion of freedoms in Turkey.
They were prosecuted for their involvement in demonstrations against the executive, but the court in Silivri, near Istanbul, found that there was "insufficient evidence" to support the charges of "attempted overthrow of the government ", according to an AFP correspondent.
The court also ordered the release of Osman Kavala, a businessman and philanthropist incarcerated for more than two years in the context of this case, which has raised serious concern from NGOs and Western countries, regarding the situation of freedoms in Turkey.
After the announcement of the decision, the dozens of people present in court to support the defendants applauded, the AFP journalist said.
"Osman Kavala's release is long overdue"
His imprisonment has made Osman Kavala the symbol of the repression orchestrated against civil society in Turkey, in particular since a 2016 coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, followed by mass purges.
>> To see: Three years after the failed putsch, the repercussions still palpable in Turkey
Osman Kavala, a well-known figure in intellectual circles in Europe, was notably accused of having financed Gezi's movement against Recep Tayyip Erdogan, then Prime Minister. He risked life in prison.
"Today's acquittals are the right decision. Osman Kavala's release is long overdue," Human Rights Watch representative Emma Sinclair-Webb told AFP. .
"This whole affair has caused immense suffering to those who have been wrongly targeted, starting with Osman Kavala. It is a trial the sole purpose of which has been to attack human rights defenders", a- she added.
With AFP
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