Turkish prosecutors are seeking prison sentences of up to three years for 11 people who staged a sit-in outside a government trade office in the northwestern province of Bursa to protest Turkey’s commercial ties with Israel.
According to the Cumhuriyet daily, the defendants are accused of violating Turkey’s Law on Meetings and Demonstrations after holding a sit-in and issuing a press statement on November 24, 2024, in front of the Bursa Regional Directorate of Customs and Foreign Trade. Prosecutors are requesting sentences ranging from six months to three years in prison.
The case is being heard at the Bursa 12th Civil Court of First Instance. The third hearing took place Wednesday.
Three defendants identified only by their first names, Enes C., Nuh Mete A. and Deniz Ö., attended the hearing.
In his defense Enes C. told the court he learned about the protest on social media and joined out of concern for Palestinians. He said the police did not issue any warning before intervening, or that he at least did not hear one.
Kemal Özgür Yetkin, head of the Human Rights Center of the Bursa Bar Association and lawyer for Enes C., argued that no criminal offense had occurred. He told the court that no one had been harmed by the protestors and that the protest did not require prior authorization. He described the demonstration as a spontaneous reaction to Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Other defendants told the court they had seen calls for the protest on social media and participated out of solidarity with Palestinians.
The court ordered that defendants who were not present at the latest hearing attend the next session and that police officers listed in the incident report be summoned as witnesses. The trial was adjourned until June 12.
Human rights advocates in Turkey have long criticized the broad use of the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations, saying it is frequently applied in cases involving peaceful protests.
