The bill of indictment accusing 23 people claimed to have participated in the protests in support of Kobané on 7-8 October 2014 in Istanbul of crimes such as “membership in an illegal organization, damaging property, propaganda, participating in an illegal protest” was accepted.
There are 23 defendants in the 56-page bill prepared by Prosecutor Talip Kalkan and 518 people including police officers appear as plaintiffs.
Charged of “abetting a crime”
The defendants, because they “acted collectively” were accused of crimes they did not individually commit. In the bill it was also expressed that there is no evidence other than the police report:
“Although there is no visual proof that the suspects threw Molotov cocktails and damaged the property of the plaintiffs through stones, sticks, and setting on fire, that this is definite in police reports, and furthermore that all suspects acted in the above described deeds of the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) / KCK (Group of Communities in Kurdistan) in determination, will, collaboration, will to get strength from each other’s presence and number, unity of deed and purpose, will to participate in crime and provoke the result, that each suspect brought about the result in the collective deed by doing their part, and that therefore each suspect is responsible of abetting each deed, ...”
“Crimes against Atatürk” also included
The defendants, in accordance with “The Turkish Penal Code (TCK) 314/2, 174/1, 151/1, 152/1.a, The Anti-Terror Law 7/2, Public Gatherings and Demonstrations Law 33/a, Law about Crimes Committed against Atatürk 1/2, Public Gatherings and Demonstrations Law 33/b, Public Gatherings and Demonstrations Law 32/1, Public Gatherings and Demonstrations Law 28/1” are charged with the following:
“Membership in an Armed Terrorist Organization, Possessing or Exchanging Dangerous Substances without Permission, Damaging Property, Damaging Public Property, Engaging in Terrorist Organization Propaganda, Participating in Gatherings and Demonstrations with Guns or Tools Specified in Article 23, Breaking or Damaging Statues, Busts and Monuments That Represent Atatürk or His Sepulcher, Not Dispersing Despite Warning in Gatherings and Demonstrations Attended With Arms, Participating in Illegal Gatherings and Demonstrations Without Arms and Not Dispersing Of One’s Own Accord Despite Warning, Organizing, Leading, Participating in Illegal Gatherings and Demonstrations.”
They “took after” Cemil Bayık’s tweet
All defendants were accused of taking after tweets sent on the day of the incident and participating in the protests. An important part of the bill is made up of what was written on Twitter:
“... that orders by the organization’s top-level leader Cemil Bayık stating ‘We call young people, women, everyone of all ages to protect Kobane, to defend our honor and occupy the big cities’ were posted on websites in the yoke of the PKK/KCK terrorist organization and on Twitter.com accounts used by organization members …”
“... that orders and calls for the continuation of the protests were posted on http://www.firatnews.com, open-circuit media organs, and social networking sites such as www.tiwitter.com [sic] through the username YDG-H İstanbul …”
“... that on 07/10/2014 the message, ‘THIS IS OUR URGENT CALL TO OUR PATRIOTIC PEOPLE; after TC- backed [TC: abbreviation of Republic of Turkey] ISIS gangs entered Kobane, we are calling you to in turn to make Istanbul hell for TC’ was posted on social networking site www.tiwitter.com [sic] from the account with username YDG-H İstanbul …”
The first hearing of the case will take place in Bakırköy 2nd High Criminal Court on 25 June, and the trials will continue until 9 July. (AS/PU)
Click here to read this article in Turkish.
