Istanbul 65th Criminal Court of First Instance held the first hearing of the Saraçhane protests case against 45 people who were detained in house raids on March 22. The indictment, which was prepared against 90 people in total within the scope of the same investigation, was split into two in April.
Lawyer Esin İzel Uysal stated that the file is full of legal violations and that the protest on March 21, the date of the action mentioned in the indictment, never took place. The CCTV footage presented as evidence was also inconsistent in terms of date and location.
The defendants stated that they were exercising their constitutional rights and that democratic protests were being criminalized. The court decided to hear the police witnesses and to request the video footage and adjourned the hearing to October 17. Uysal stated that they will follow the case and continue to defend democratic rights.
July 4, 2025
Cumhuriyet