Dozens of students and journalists appeared in court in Istanbul on Friday after being charged over protests sparked by the arrest of opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a key political rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The case has drawn national and international attention amid concerns over political freedoms and judicial independence in Turkey.
The protests erupted after Imamoglu, widely seen as Erdogan’s strongest opponent, was detained on 19 March and jailed a few days later on corruption charges. Many critics, including rights groups and opposition figures, believe the charges are politically motivated. Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul, has been a rising political figure and a potential presidential contender.
According to AP, a total of 189 people – mostly university students – are on trial, accused of joining unauthorised demonstrations and refusing to follow police orders to disperse. Some are also facing charges for allegedly carrying weapons.
People sit next a police security line during a protest outside Caglayan courthouse, in Istanbul, Turkey, Friday, April 18, 2025, during the hearing of dozens of people accused of attending banned demonstrations after the arrest of Istanbul’s Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. (AP)
Among those on trial are four photojournalists and three reporters who were covering the protests. Their cases have been separated from the main group of defendants, the court decided on Friday, AP reported.
The protests that led to these arrests were among the largest mass demonstrations in Turkey in over a decade. More than 2,000 people were detained nationwide in connection with the rallies.
During the first hearing, lawyers urged the court to drop the charges against all defendants. One of them, 23-year-old Istanbul University student Derin Doga Kus, was arrested on 24 March and spent 18 days in Istanbul’s Silivri prison.
“I was released a week ago today,” she told the court, according to AP. “We all missed our exams. Some students even lost their jobs. This is not a legal process. It is a process where the law is trampled on.”
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Outside the courthouse, hundreds gathered in support of the accused, including parents of students. Avni Gundogan, the father of one of the defendants, said, “They engaged in democratic, peaceful, and legitimate activities. They exercised their constitutional rights, and their rights were violated. We demand a verdict of acquittal for our children,” AP reported.
The Turkish government maintains that the country’s judiciary is independent and not influenced by politics. However, critics argue that the arrests and the charges reflect growing pressure on dissent in the lead-up to future elections.
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