A Turkish court on Friday ordered the release of 14 students pending trial who were jailed for over two months following demonstrations protesting the arrest of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, Turkish Minute reported, citing the DHA news agency.
The students, many of whom are under the age of 20, were detained during protests held in front of İstanbul City Hall in Saraçhane in support of İmamoğlu, who was arrested in March amid a controversial investigation. The İstanbul mayor, also the main opposition candidate for the next presidential election, faces charges including corruption and alleged ties to terrorism.
The 14 students, along with two others who were released pending trial, face charges of “insulting the president” under Article 299 of the Turkish Penal Code. The first hearing took place Friday before the 40th Criminal Court of First Instance at Marmara Prison in Silivri.
Among those released were two students who were arrested for holding a banner that read, “If you have water cannons, we have Osimhen,” referencing a popular footballer in a protest slogan.
The students had been held in pretrial detention for 68 days before the court ordered their release. All 16 defendants deny the charges.
The indictment against the students was prepared 45 days after the initial arrests, drawing criticism from legal observers and rights advocates. Prosecutors had sought prison sentences ranging from one to four years for each defendant.
The indictment claims that the students’ mere presence near a group chanting anti-government slogans could be interpreted as participation in an act of insulting the president. The broad interpretation of the charge has been widely condemned by human rights organizations in recent years.
The hearing was attended by families of the students, who applauded as they arrived in court. Also present were opposition officials, including İstanbul Republican People’s Party (CHP) provincial chair Özgür Çelik, CHP lawmaker Sibel Suiçmez, İYİ (Good) Party MP Yüksel Selçuk Türkoğlu and representatives of the İstanbul Bar Association.
Following the release order, family members and supporters celebrated outside the courtroom.
