Eleven years on

Acquittals for fans after anti-Erdogan protests!

Eleven years after the anti-government Gezi protests in Turkey, a court has acquitted all 35 accused supporters of the Istanbul soccer club Besiktas!

This was reported by the newspaper Cumhuriyet in agreement with other local media. During the Gezi protests in 2013, the Carsi fan club of the Besiktas soccer club played an important role and many Carsi ultras took part in the demonstrations.

Government speaks of attempted coup
According to Cumhuriyet, they were accused of "founding or leading a terrorist organization" in the proceedings. The largely peaceful Gezi protests were directed against the authoritarian policies of then Prime Minister and current President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The government had them brutally crushed and to this day speaks of an attempted coup.

This is not the first time that soccer fans have been acquitted. The proceedings were resumed after an acquittal in the past.

No credible evidence
One of the best-known verdicts in connection with the Gezi Park protests is the life sentence handed down to cultural promoter Osman Kavala. The decision against him and others currently imprisoned was sharply criticized internationally. The European Court of Human Rights is calling for Kavala's release, arguing that there is no credible evidence for the accusations against him.