During President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s speech, police officers testified in the trial of nine people prosecuted for protesting trade with Israel. At the fourth hearing of the case, held at Istanbul 8th Criminal Court of First Instance, the police officers stated that the detention order had been communicated to them before the program and that the intervention order had come from the Presidential security personnel. It was brought to the fore during the hearing that the witness statements contradicted the arrest records, expert reports, and video recordings. The police officers who testified confirmed that Istanbul Governor Davut Gül was also present in the room where the defendants were held after their arrest. Defense attorneys requested acquittal, stating that no warning was issued in the hall, that the elements of the crime of “illegal assembly” were not present, and that the defendants were acting within the scope of freedom of expression. The court decided to send the case file to the prosecutor’s office for preparation of the opinion on the merits and postponed the hearing to June 17, 2026.
February 4, 2026
MLSA