Taylan İnce, a Paralympic national judoka and METU student, was detained and held for 29 days on April 25 for participating in a demonstration on Konur Street demanding the release of students arrested during the March 19 protests. İnce stated that he was subjected to police violence during his detention and received an official assault report. Following this process, he was removed from the Turkish national team and his sports career was severely disrupted. İnce said, “Sport doesn’t protect me anymore,” and explained his victimization and will to resist to the public. His lawyer Deniz Özbilgin stated that the legal process was carried out under political pressure and Taylan was criminalized without any evidence. Ince, whose sports career was effectively ended, received support from international athletes’ rights organizations.
June 4, 2025
BirGün