Journalist Ismail Saymaz was detained early Wednesday morning as part of an investigation led by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office into the 2013 Gezi Park protests, Turkish media reported.
Saymaz, a columnist for Halk TV, was accused of “aiding an attempt to overthrow the Turkish government,” with the prosecutor claiming he played an active role in the protests, spread misleading information on social media, and attempted to incite the public against law enforcement.
The prosecutor further alleges that Saymaz had close contact with key figures in the Gezi Park case, including Osman Kavala, who was sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment. He was claimed to have been involved in the preparation of Kavala’s website and discussions about setting up a television channel aimed at promoting the protests through themedia.
Additionally, Saymaz was accused of having extensive communication with other defendants in the Gezi Park case, including Serafettin Can Atalay, Çiğdem Mater Utku and Ayşe Mücella Yapıcı, during the protests.
Four days ago, Saymaz revealed on social media that his passport had been confiscated and a travel ban had been imposed. Fellow journalist Barış Terkoğlu said Saymaz had anticipated his detention but had stated he would voluntarily go to the prosecutor’s office if summoned. However, he was detained during a police raid at his home.
The 2013 Gezi Park protests erupted over government plans to demolish Gezi Park in Istanbul’s Taksim district. They quickly turned into mass anti-government demonstrations that were violently suppressed by the government, leading to the death of 11 protestors due to the use of disproportionate force by the police.
The government response to the demonstrations is considered by many to have been one of the early signs of Turkey’s authoritarian downturn.
Several journalists, filmmakers and civil society figures were prosecuted and handed down lengthy prison sentences over their alleged role in the protests, including businessman and philanthropist Kavala, who since 2017 has been held behind bars despite a European Court of Human Rights order for his release.
Utku, Yapıcı and Atalay were sentenced in 2022 to 18 years in prison each for “aiding and abetting the attempted overthrow of the government.”
