A Turkish court has ruled to release three defendants while ordering the continued detention of two others in the ongoing trial of 41 people, including 14 high school students, who are accused of terrorism for engaging in routine social and religious activities, Turkish Minute reported.

According to the report by Sevinç Özarslan of TR724, the İstanbul 24th High Criminal Court ordered the release of H.A., G.Ş. and R.B.G. but ruled that R.Ç. and Z.Ş.T. would remain in custody ahead of the next hearing, scheduled for April 25.

The defendants are charged with alleged membership in a terrorist organization, as part of a decade-long crackdown on the Gülen movement.

The Turkish government, led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has accused the faith-based Gülen movement of orchestrating a failed coup in 2016, although the late Turkish cleric Fethullah Gülen, who inspired the movement, and the movement deny any involvement.

Since the coup, Erdoğan’s government has carried out a sweeping crackdown, investigating more than 700,000 people on terrorism-related allegations, many of them for links to the Gülen movement.

The trial, widely criticized by human rights groups, has attracted international attention for criminalizing activities such as praying together, studying, going to the mall and playing sports.

The case has been closely followed by international human rights organizations, with observers attending the latest hearing. Among them were Rebecca Cataldi, director of the Washington-based International Center for Religion & Diplomacy; Andrea Barron, an American human rights advocate; and Anaïs Lefort, a criminal lawyer registered with the Paris Bar Association. Their presence underscores growing international concern over Turkey’s judiciary and its treatment of religious and social activities as acts of terrorism.

Defendants charged over daily activities

The case stems from a mass arrest operation on May 7, 2024, when İstanbul police detained 41 people, including 14 high school students and 12 university students at the order of the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. A total of 29 people were arrested.

Authorities had reportedly wiretapped the students’ phones for three months and built a case around their everyday interactions. The indictment, accepted by the court on July 8, 2024, claimed to have identified “120 terrorist activities” involving the defendants.
Among the alleged terrorist activities listed in the indictment were attending an event at a camp house, going to Marmara Park Mall, bowling and visiting friends’ homes. Prosecutors also cited as evidence staying in shared student apartments, attending study groups, going to shopping malls, ordering food through a delivery app, going to the movies, organizing a picnic and planning an overseas trip.

The prosecution’s main argument is that 12 female university students voluntarily provided English and religious lessons in four different homes in Istanbul, with parents allowing their children to participate. Prosecutors have classified activities such as reading the Quran, praying together and hosting social gatherings as acts of terrorism. The judge has even questioned whether birthday celebrations and study sessions could be linked to an armed terrorist organization.

All these activities have been labeled as criminal solely because of their alleged connection to the Gülen movement, which the Turkish government considers a terrorist organization. In cases like this, routine social interactions and educational activities are reinterpreted as acts of terrorism based on vague and broad legal definitions, allowing authorities to prosecute individuals for even the most ordinary aspects of daily life.

Judge questions religious references in trial

During the latest hearing, presiding judge Şenol Kartal engaged in a contentious exchange with one of the defendants over religious terminology used in private phone messages. Kartal, himself a graduate of a religious vocational school, questioned a defendant about a phrase found on her phone, asking, “There is a sultan mentioned in your messages, one who is all-powerful. Who is this sultan?” The defendant responded that it referred to God, as mentioned in the Risale-i Nur, a religious book. Kartal, however, challenged this explanation, saying, “No, this seems to be someone else. How can there be such a sultan who is all-powerful? Why do you attribute superhuman qualities to this sultan?”

Another defendant clarified that Bediüzzaman Said Nursi, the Islamic scholar who wrote Risale-i Nur, frequently used metaphors, allegories and symbolic stories. Risale- Nur, she explained, describes God as the ultimate ruler of the universe through a metaphor of kingship. This courtroom exchange has drawn comparisons to Turkey’s past legal battles over Risale-i Nur, particularly during the 1960s, when the religious text was banned under the country’s staunchly secular government and its followers were prosecuted.

MP removed from courtroom after criticizing judge

During the trial’s first hearing on September 23, Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu, a member of parliament from the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), was expelled from the courtroom after criticizing the judge’s line of questioning. Gergerlioğlu later alleged that Kartal, who previously worked as a lawyer for Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), had a history of signing politically motivated rulings. He filed a complaint against the judge with the Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK), arguing that his removal from the courtroom violated the law.

More recently, Kartal filed a criminal complaint against Gergerlioğlu for his criticism.

Trial part of broader crackdown

The “Girls’ Trial” is part of Turkey’s post-2016 crackdown on alleged members of the Gülen movement. The Turkish government accuses the movement of orchestrating a failed coup in 2016, though Gülen and his followers deny any involvement. Since the coup attempt, Turkish authorities have carried out an extensive purge. Thousands have been arrested for alleged links to the movement, often based on tenuous evidence such as using the ByLock messaging app, having an account at the now-closed Bank Asya, sending children to Gülen-affiliated schools, subscribing to Gülen-linked publications or representing Gülen supporters as a lawyer.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has repeatedly ruled that Turkey’s anti-terror laws are being misused to silence dissent. The court has issued several judgments finding Turkey in violation of its citizens’ rights, particularly for the broad and vague application of Article 314 of the Turkish Penal Code, which criminalizes membership in a terrorist organization.

‘Surreal trial

Antonio Stango, chair of the Italian Federation for Human Rights, attended three days of hearings in September and described the proceedings as “surreal.” He said the young women are accused of belonging to an armed terrorist group, yet all the evidence suggests they were simply engaging in common social activities. He expressed concern that the defendants were not afforded the presumption of innocence, a fundamental principle of fair trial and due process. He observed that the judge appeared to be aligned with the prosecution rather than acting as an impartial third party, which he noted was not consistent with democratic judicial standards.