First Hearing Of Çarşı Leaders Accused Of Coup Attempt Set For Dec. 16

Thirty-five participants in last year's Gezi Park protests, who include several leaders of the Beşiktaş football fan club Çarşı, are scheduled to appear before the judge on accusations of a coup attempt on Dec. 16.

An İstanbul court recently accepted an indictment that accuses the 35 people of working to overthrow the Justice and Development Party (AK Party). The indictment seeks aggravated life sentences for the 35 protesters. It also accuses the protesters of “being members of an armed group,” “resisting public officials,” “staging demonstrations in violation of the law” and “possessing unlicensed weapons.”

Some of the protesters were arrested in June of last year but later released upon appeal pending trial.

Among the protesters are Çarşı's leaders, who include Cem Yakışkan, Erol Özdil and Halil İbrahim Erol. The Çarşı group was a formidable force throughout the protests.

The Gezi Park protests in İstanbul began peacefully in May of last year against a government plan to replace a park in the central Taksim Square with a replica of an Ottoman-era military barracks. In response to a heavy-handed police crackdown, the protests erupted into violent clashes with police and spread across the country. The demonstrations brought together large groups of protesters who accused then-Prime Minister and now President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of growing authoritarian tendencies over his 10 years in power and attempts to impose his conservative religious values on a country governed by secular laws.

The indictment was prepared by an anti-terrorism prosecutor, Adem Meral, and accepted by a high criminal court in İstanbul. The document is 38 pages long. Nine police officers appear as plaintiffs in the indictment.

According to the indictment, the Gezi Park protests began with “goodwill” -- demonstrators wanted to show their reaction to a number of issues in the country -- but the protests deviated from their purpose when marginal groups joined demonstrators. The indictment stated that the marginal groups wanted to topple the government through anti-democratic means by provoking demonstrators against the government.

The indictment said leaders of the Çarşı group incited individuals to stage violent protests against the government.

Çarşı responded to claims of coup plotting in a statement it posted on its official website on Thursday. In the statement, the group made a clear reference to police violence exercised on demonstrators during the Gezi Park protests and claims of corruption and bribery leveled at several members of the government and Erdoğan. “We are happy that we have not been accused of choking kids, young people and the elderly with tear gas for several days and nights; beating some of them to death; and stealing and engaging in corruption.”

During the Gezi Park demonstrations, 12 people were killed. In addition, more than 10 people suffered eye injuries.

Çarşı said it will never give up, stating the group will not “sit at the same table with thieves.”

In addition, the group likened the trial on Dec. 16 to an “away match.”

“We are heading to an away game on Dec. 16. We are going for the justice, law, conscience and future of our country. We are going for children who are cold in Van and children who are still crying in Soma. We are going for stray dogs, orphans and the old. We are going for the rivers of the Black Sea. We are going to find bone marrow for the injustice that has given us cancer. The courtroom we will appear in on Dec. 16 will become a tribune for us, from which we will raise our voices for humanity,” the group added in its statement.

(Cihan/Today's Zaman)