Court Board of Gezi Trial Changed

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The Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK) has changed the court board of the Gezi case, where 16 people including arrested businessperson Osman Kavala stand trial in relation with the 2013 Gezi Park protests.

Issuing a decree of authorization yesterday (July 30), the HSK has formed a second court board within the body of the İstanbul 30th Heavy Penal Court and the court board hearing the Gezi trial has been moved to the second board, thereby being removed from the case.

While Galip Mehmet Perk has been appointed as the Presiding Judge of the newly-established court board that will hear the Gezi trial from now on, Talip Ergen has also been appointed as its new member.

The Council has not changed the place of duty of senior member of the previous court board Ahmet Tarık Çiftçioğlu, who expressed opinion for the continuation of both Yiğit Aksakoğlu and Osman Kavala's arrest.

The new court will hear only two cases

In the related decree of the Council, it has been stated, "It has been ruled that the İstanbul 30th Heavy Penal Court shall work as 2 boards and, thereby, the first board shall hear the cases no. 2019/74 and 2019/313 and the cases that could be related with the aforementioned ones and the second board shall hear all other cases and affairs."

That being the case, the HSK has ruled that the newly-formed first court board shall hear the cases of Gezi and Adnan Oktar. Presiding Judge Mahmut Başbuğ, who expressed opinion for the release of Kavala, and one member of the court board have been moved to the second board.

Başbuğ ruled for the release of Aksakoğlu

In the first hearing of the Gezi trial that was heard in Silivri on June 24, a member of the court board Mahmut Başbuğ presided the hearing since Presiding Judge Utku Ercan was "on leave". When the first hearing ended, the court board ruled that arrested defendant Yiğit Aksakoğlu should be released and the arrest of Osman Kavala should continue.

Başbuğ voted in favor of Kavala's release on that day. (HA/SD)