Journalists detained in the protests in Istanbul will be judged separately from the students, but the judge dismissed their immediate exemption from the indictment.
On Friday, Istanbul began a process with 189 people, including students and eight journalists, including AFP photographer Yasin Akgula, detained in protests against the arrest of the opposition mayor of this largest Turkish city of Ekrema Imamogl. Informed AFP.
According to court documents, they face several accusations, among other things, to participate in prohibited meetings and marches, disobeying police challenges, weapon carrying, facial concealment to prevent their identification or incitement to commit crime, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Thursday.
At the beginning of the process, the lawyer of the accused journalists Veysel asked for their immediate liberation from the indictment. “They were there like journalists to inform about protests … That’s what they are paid for,” OK said. The judge dismissed his application, but later he agreed that journalists, together with four lawyers, would judge separately from the students.
Arrests of Imamogl 19. March for alleged corruption, blackmail, bribery, money laundering and the promotion of terrorism has plunged Turkey into the greatest internal political crisis since 2013. Despite the ban on demonstrations and rallies declared in many cities, hundreds of thousands of people participated in anti -government protests.
Imamoglu is the greatest political opponent of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and candidate of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) for the President in the Elections in 2028.
The Istanbul Prosecutor’s Office stated that more than 819 people would be judged for the participation in the protests.
