The indictment prepared against 16 people; including businessman Osman Kavala, who is arrested for 15 months, rights advocate Yiğit Aksakoğlu, who is arrested for three months, journalist Can Dündar, actor Mehmet Ali Alabora and Taksim Solidarity members on the Gezi Park protests was accepted by Istanbul 30th Assize Court. The first hearing of the case will be held on June 24th.
The indictment starts with the global social protest movement “Occupy” that started with the 2008-2012 Global Economic Crisis. The Prosecutor claims that the Gezi Park protests were designed with the support of an organization named OTPOR (Resistance) and used the method of “Civil Riot” of Gene Sharp, one of the theorists of the Occupy movement. OTPOR is a youth organization in Serbia, performing passive resistance protests against the Slobodan Milošević regime between the years 1998 and 2004 and being one of the elements of the social movement that led to the fall of Slobodan Milošević.
The indictment claimed that the foundations of the Gezi Park protests were built in 2011 and were attempted to be staged in May 2013. As the protests were described as an attempt, the 16 rights advocates were charged with making “influential espionage” and using the method of “civil riot.” The indictment further tries to show parallelities between the Gezi Park protests and the 198-article action plan stated in the book, “From Dictatorship to Democracy,” written by Sharp.
According to the indictment, it is a crime to perform “nonviolent actions.” Here are some of the acts that were described within criminal activities:
Making fun of public officers (Many protesters performed mocking hand and body gestures and chanted slogans that made fun of public officers on duty, during the Gezi Park protests)
Lysistratic Non-Action (i.e. Not Making Love with a Partner)
Social Disobedience (The Gezi Park protests were claimed to have attempted to establish a commune life.)
Staying home (Many in relations with Mi Minor, especially Mehmet Ali Alabora, stayed home during the protests.)
Taking shelter (Protesters took shelter inside the Confederation of Trade Unions of Turkey (DISK) building as well as the Dolmabahçe Mosque and Divan Hotel following interventions against the demonstrations.)
Protest migration (i.e. emigration) (Many in relations with Mi Minor, especially Mehmet Ali Alabora, are living in the UK.)
International Trade Embargos (It was claimed that there was work during the Gezi Park protests on an embargo against Turkey’s Tear Gas.)
05.03.2019
bianet.org