36 Turkish Gezi Park Protesters Face Terrorist Charges

The Gezi Park protests began on May 28 spread quickly, engulfing a number of major cities. Photo by EPA/BGNES

Turkish prosecution has placed terrorist charges on 36 people in the indictment over the country’s mass demonstrations between May and July 2013, Hurriyet Daily informed.

The mass protests began at the end of May against a government redevelopment plan for Istanbul’s Gezi Park and rapidly evolved into the country’s most widespread unrest in recent history, with prolonged protests across the country, resulting in the deaths of five protesters and one police officer, and thousands of injured.

The indictment filed in an Istanbul court on 23 December charged a total of 255 protesters, including seven foreigners.

The charges included “producing propaganda for a terrorist organization” and “illegal possession of dangerous substances”.

Prosecutors insisted that the massive demonstrations had gone beyond a democratic protest and turned into the “actions and propaganda of terrorist organizations”, Hurriyet added.

The first hearing of the trial is expected to be held in the first week of May.

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