A Turkish court on Monday arrested two demonstrators and put 20 others under judicial supervision after police detained 79 people during a protest in İstanbul over the death of a university student, the T24 news website reported.
Karadeniz Technical University student İlayda Zorlu, 19, was found dead at her family’s home in Hatay province on April 17, in what authorities described as a suicide involving her police officer father’s gun. But Student Collectives, a left-wing student group, disputed that account, saying she was threatened by her family after police informed them of her participation in protests.
Of the 79 people detained on Sunday as they attempted to read out a statement at the protest, 57 were released from detention, while the remaining 22 were referred to court. The students said police used force during and after their detentions and that one demonstrator who suffered head trauma was taken to hospital only after a delay.
Mahmut Tanal, a lawmaker from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) who monitored the proceedings at the courthouse, criticized the arrests on X and said the students were referred to court without first appearing before a prosecutor or meeting with their lawyers, calling it a violation of due process and fair trial rights.
He called on Justice Minister Akın Gürlek to investigate the prosecutors involved.
