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The trial of nearly 200 people arrested in protests against the Turkish government opened in Istanbul.
Mass demonstrations began on March 19 after Istanbul’s Mayor Imomoglu Screens – a key rival Recep Tayyip Erdogan – was detained on charges of corruption he denies.
Most of the 189 accused in court, which opened on Friday at the Kaglai court building, are students and eight are journalists.
The charges against them include participating in illegal protests after repression at public meetings and do not diverge, despite warnings.
This means the first trial over the arrested rallies. Istanbul’s prosecutor’s office said 819 people would be tried in 20 criminal investigations.
According to Human Rights Watch, the penalty is from six months to five years.
One student of Istanbul University, who was arrested for participating in protests in Istanbul Sarasan and spent 20 days in prison, said the BBC Turkish: “I hope they will return from this shame as soon as possible and decided to justify everyone today.”
A second -year student from the University of Perenno, whose hearing was scheduled, said: “We are not afraid, we are not the ones who should be afraid.”
According to the information provided by the BBC Turkish a network of parents’ solidarity (PSN), which was created by the students of students, most of the arrested after March 19 were released in recent days, but about 50 students remain in detention.
Before the hearing began on Friday, a PSN member of Gundogan said: “Our children participated in democratic, peaceful and legitimate actions, they fought for this country to be a free and democratic country.”
The father of Emura Gundogan, who was arrested, was taken to the Siliur jail and recently released, said: “We stood near our children and will continue to do it.
“The first hearing begins today. We want justice and just trial for our children.”
Journalists – including French reporter AFP Yasin Akgül .
On Friday, lawyer Weissel OK asked the judge to justify them on the grounds they reported, not participated in protests, AFP reports.
While the request has been rejected, social media (TGS) said that eight journalists were separated from students.
Imomoglu was supposed to be president in the 2028 elections. His supporters see his arrest as Erdogan’s political step.
Despite the fact that Istanbul’s governor announced a ban on demonstrations and meetings across the province, hundreds of thousands of people participated in the protests.
Since March 19, police detained almost 2,000 people – many of them university students.
