Rabia Çetin
Students on trial for participating in protests held in Istanbul’s Saraçhane district after the arrest of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu told a court that they were tortured and subjected to inhumane treatment while in police custody. Several also alleged that female detainees were sexually harassed and that they were denied food and medication for days.
The second hearing of the trial, which involves 49 defendants accused of “participating in an unlawful assembly and failing to disperse despite warnings,” was held at the Istanbul 70th Criminal Court of First Instance but moved to the larger courtroom of the 14th High Criminal Court due to limited space. Families of the defendants also attended the hearing.
The case centers on a rally held on March 25, 2025, in Saraçhane, where protests continued for days after the detention of İmamoğlu, a leading opposition figure from the Republican People’s Party (CHP). Many of those detained were later also charged with “insulting the president.”
“We were tortured and denied food for four days”
Several students who gave their defense statements said they were arrested both at the protest site and during home raids and suffered physical and psychological abuse at the Istanbul Security Directorate on Vatan Avenue.
“We were detained without warning, subjected to tear gas and water cannons, and then held for four days in unhygienic conditions. They didn’t give us food or our medication. Some of our female friends were harassed in custody,” one student said through tears.
Another student described how the protest had been peaceful until police intervened without warning: “I only wanted to exercise my constitutional right to demonstrate. I didn’t act unlawfully or violently.”
“Beaten and insulted while taken into custody”
Defendant Azad İzci said he was detained on his way home after leaving the protest area. “I was arrested while boarding a tram, beaten, insulted and tortured in the police vehicle. I have psoriasis and was denied my medication. We’re being tried unlawfully,” he said.
A high school student told the court he was hit in the eye with a projectile during the police intervention and denied medical care for four days. “I was injured in the eye and never treated. We also heard that some of our female friends were harassed. I later spent 30 days in prison on charges of insulting the president,” he said.
Another university student said he spent 70 days in pretrial detention: “I wasn’t there for political reasons but to demand justice. My home was raided at dawn. I was beaten, denied food and access to the toilet. I was tortured for saying I wanted rights, law, and justice.”
Lawyers call for investigation into torture allegations
Defense lawyers said all detainees were subjected to ill-treatment and demanded that police officers responsible be identified and prosecuted. Lawyer Ozan Kayaoğlu, representing the injured high school student, said: “My client still has a bullet mark in his eye from March 25. The police officers who tortured them must be investigated. These young people’s right to be presumed innocent has been violated.”
Another lawyer said his client, who suffers from a life-threatening illness, was denied medication while in custody: “He could have died because of this neglect. All of these students bear marks of torture. This is a violation of their rights to free expression and assembly.”
A separate defense lawyer requested that all police officers on duty at the Istanbul Security Directorate between March 19–31, 2025, be identified and investigated for torture and mistreatment.
Calls for top officials to testify
Some defense lawyers demanded that Istanbul Governor, CHP Chair Özgür Özel, and CHP Istanbul Provincial Chair Özgür Çelik be heard as witnesses regarding the March 25 Saraçhane protest. Another lawyer called for criminal complaints against the governor and the provincial police chief.
Lawyers also noted that some defendants were arrested at home or while traveling, and others were visiting Istanbul from other provinces and had no involvement in the protest. “My clients were just tourists in the city. They had nothing to do with the demonstration,” one lawyer said.
Court postpones ruling on requests
At the end of the hearing, the court ruled that defendants who had not yet given their defense statements must attend the next session. It also decided to consider the requests for identifying police officers accused of torture, investigating ill-treatment claims, and hearing Istanbul Governor, Özgür Özel, and Özgür Çelik as witnesses once all defense statements have been completed.
