An indictment was prepared against 16 people, including businessman and rights advocate Osman Kavala, who is arrested for 478 within the investigation on Gezi Park protests, as well as Yiğit Aksakoğlu, who was detained and arrested on November 16, 2018. The indictment charges the 16 defendants with “attempting to overthrow the government.”
The 657-page indictment, sent to Istanbul 30th Assize Court, claims heavcy life imprisonment sentences against Kavala and Aksakoğlu together with Ali Hakan Altınay, Ayşe Mücella Yapıcı, Ayşe Pınar Alabora, Can Dündar, Çiğdem Mater Utku, Gökçe Yılmaz, Handan Meltem Arıkan, Hanzade Hikmet Germiyanoğlu, İnanç Ekmekçi, Mehmet Ali Alabora, Mine Özerden, Şerafettin Can Atalay, Tayfun Kahraman and Yiğit Ali Ekmekçi.
The Prosecutor’s Office accused the defendants of making preparations for the Gezi Park protests since 2011 and and that these 16 people are the “roof executives” of the protests, while describing the demonstrations as “an attempt to riot” and claiming that the rights advocates provided financial support for and the coordination of the demonstrations and incidents. Some of the accusations posed against the defendants in the indictment are as following:
Attempting to overthrow the government of the Republic of Turkey and to prevent it from performing its duty,
Damage to property, major damage to property,
Damaging worship places and cemeteries,
Major loot,
Major injury.
21.02.2019
bianet.org