Gezi Indictment Against 16 People Including Osman Kavala Accepted

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The indictment filed as part of the investigation launched into the Gezi Park protests has been accepted by the İstanbul 30th Heavy Penal Court.

The indictment against 16 people, including Osman Kavala, who has been arrested for 489 days, and Yiğit Aksakoğlu, who has been arrested since November 17, 2018, was completed on February 20, 2019.

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The 657-page indictment has made 10 different charges against the defendants and warrants were previously issued against 16 people, including journalist Can Dündar and actor Memet Ali Alabora.

The other people who have been charged with "attempting to overthrow the government" are as follows:

Anadolu Kültür Inc. Executive Board member Ali Hakan Altınay, architect Mücella Yapıcı, actress Ayşe Pınar Alabora, filmmaker and journalist Çiğdem Mater Utku, Open Society Foundation Representative to Turkey Gökçe Yılmaz, writer Handan Meltem Arıkan, Civil Society Development Center Coordinator Hanzade Hikmet Germiyanoğlu, İnanç Ekmekçi, filmmaker, assistant director and publicist Mine Özerden, lawyer Can Atalay, Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB) Chamber of Urban Planners İstanbul Office Executive Board Chair academic Tayfun Kahraman and Anadolu Kültür Inc. Executive Board Deputy Chair and Terakki Foundation Schools' Executive Board member Yiğit Ali Ekmekçi.

Aggrieved plaintiffs: Cabinet of 61st government

In the indictment, the cabinet of the 61st term government has been referred to as aggrieved plaintiffs. These members of the cabinet are:

The then Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Vice Prime Ministers Bülent Arınç, Ali Babacan, Beşir Atalay, Bekir Bozdağ, Minister of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications Binali Yıldırım, Minister of Family and Social Policies Fatma Şahin, Minister of EU Egemen Bağış, Minister of Science, Industry and Technology Nihat Ergün, Minister of Labor and Social Security Faruk Çelik, Minister of Environment and Urbanization Erdoğan Bayraktar, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Taner Yıldız, Minister of Youth and Sport Suat Kılıç, Minister of Food, Agriculture and Livestock Mehdi Eker, Minister of Customs and Trade Hayati Yazıcı, Minister of Interior Muammer Güler, Minister of Development Cevdet Yılmaz, Minister of Culture and Development Ömer Çelik, Minister of Finance Mehmet Şimşek, Minister of National Education Nabi Avcı, Minister of National Defense İsmet Yılmaz, Minister of Forestry and Water Affairs Veysel Eroğlu, Minister of Health Mehmet Müezzinoğlu, Minister of Economy Zafer Çağlayan, Vice Prime Minister Emrullah İşler, Minister of Justice Sadullah Ergin

746 complainants in the indictment

There are 746 complainants in the bill of indictment accepted by the court. The following charges are made against 16 suspects:

Attempting to overthrow the government of the Republic of Turkey or preventing the government from doing its duty, damage to property, qualified form of damage to property, holding or handing over dangerous material, damaging places of worship and cemeteries, violation of the Law No. 6136 on Firearms and Knives, qualified looting, qualified bodily injury, Violation of the Law No. 2836 on the Conservation of Cultural and Natural Property.

'Movement of insurrection'

In the introduction to the indictment, it is stated that the foundation of the Gezi Park protests was laid in 2011 and attempted to be staged in 2013.

While the protests are referred to as "a movement of insurrection" in the indictment, there is also a reference to a tweet of Memet Ali Alabora, who wrote on Twitter, "It is not just about Gezi Park, friend, didn't you understand yet?". The indictment defines this statement as "provocative" and stated that Alabora engaged in "influence agency."

The indictment also refers to the Arab Spring, indicating that the protests in Turkey were a different reflection and adaptation of the Arab Spring. In this context, the indictment alleges that the protests were started by using the removal of the trees in Gezi Park as a pretext, but then turned into country-wide violent demonstrations and an insurrection against the government. (HA/SD)