Istanbul, May 21, (dpa/GNA) – An Istanbul court will on Friday reopen a controversial trial on the Gezi protests in Turkey, almost eight years after they happened.
The 16 defendants, some of whom were previously acquitted, are being tried on charges including attempting to overthrow the government.
Osman Kavala, a philanthropist who has been imprisoned for more than three years, is also on trial and accused of espionage.
The largely peaceful Gezi protests in summer 2013 started off as an opposition to the development of Gezi Park in central Istanbul.
They expanded into nationwide demonstrations against the authoritarian policies of Recep Tayyip Erdogan – who was prime minister at the time and is now president.
The government brutally repressed the protests.
Seven of the defendants are abroad, including journalist Can Dundar, who lives in Germany.
The cases had originally been severed and Kavala and the rest of the defendants were acquitted. However, Kavala was promptly re-arrested on new charges related to the 2016 coup attempt. He denies all charges.
Those proceedings have been integrated into the trial that starts Friday.
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) had ordered Kavala’s release in December 2019, citing lack of evidence against him.
Turkish courts declined to follow suit, even though ECHR rulings are technically binding on Turkey, a member state of the Council of Europe.
Kavala, 63, is the founder of the NGO Anadolu Kultur, which promotes exchange and dialogue between Turkey and its neighbours through cultural and artistic works.
He has been in pre-trial detention since November 2017 without a conviction. The eight other defendants still in Turkey are subject to an exit ban.
GNA