Gezi Park trial: Çiğdem Mater hopes for fair judgment in top court

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In the Gezi Park trial, Çiğdem Mater, one of the defendants under arrest, expressed her hope for a fair judgment as the case is currently before the country's top appeals court.

Last week, the chief public prosecutor of the Court of Cassation submitted their opinion to the court's 3rd Penal Chamber, demanding the sentences be upheld.

Mater, currently held in Bakırköy Women's Closed Prison in İstanbul, conveyed her message through her legal representatives.

"The 77-page memorandum that the Court of Cassation prosecutor 'evaluated' without considering our statements, which were made during the trial that we have been undergoing since 2019 and with tens of thousands of pages of court documents in 22 sacks, will probably be an unprecedented contribution to the law school curriculum of the court we are being tried in," she said.

"After the Court of Appeal upheld our conviction, I had said, 'I hope there are judges in the Court of Cassation.'

"I maintain my hope that there are judges in the Court of Cassation who will take into account the law, the Constitution, and international treaties. Otherwise, it would mean the opening of very dark doors not only for the seven individuals detained in this case but for the law itself."

The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office of the Court of Cassation had requested the confirmation of the sentences given to Osman Kavala, who received aggravated life imprisonment for the offense of "attempting to overthrow the government" under Article 312 of the Turkish Penal Code. It also sought confirmation of the 18-year prison sentence handed down to Çiğdem Mater, Ali Hakan Altınay, Mine Özerden, Can Atalay, Tayfun Kahraman, and Yiğit Ali Ekmekçi for their involvement in the offense of "assisting in an attempt to overthrow the government."

Additionally, it requested a reversal of the decision related to Mücella Yapıcı, who was also sentenced to 18 years in prison. (VC/VK)