A prominent philanthropist and seven other human rights activists have been found guilty in a Turkish court on charges related to the Gezi Park protests in 2013 and the failed coup attempt in 2016.
sami kent dice Michael Safi that laws intended to prosecute those accused of violently overthrowing the Turkish state have been used to criminalize non-violent protesters who opposed the government.
Among the eight defendants in court last month was veteran architect and activist Mücella Yapıcı. We heard from your daughter Cansu Yapici about the conditions her mother faces in prison for her 18-year sentence. And of Handy Altinaywhose husband, Hakan, was also jailed for 18 years for his part in the protests.
The European Court of Human Rights has said there was insufficient evidence that he committed a crime and that his arrest was an attempt to “silence him and deter other human rights defenders”.
The sentence marks the deepest and most public crackdown by Turkish authorities on dissent and freedom of assembly in the last decade and threatens to damage Turkish relations with Europe after strong criticism of the marathon trial.
Amnesty International called the decision “a travesty of justice” and said the trial was “a politically motivated farce”.
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Photograph: Ümit Bektaş/Reuters
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