The trial of the defendants, including Osman Kavala, a businessman who has been detained for 1602 days and Taksim Solidarity components, on charges of financing Gezi Park actions, was postponed.
The court decided that Kavala’s detention should continue. The next hearing is scheduled for April 22. A verdict is expected to be announced at this hearing.
GEZI PARK PROTESTS
“Gezi Park” demonstrations started on May 27, 2013 as an environmental movement in response to the uprooting of trees in Taksim Gezi Park (in Istanbul). However, these protests have been carried o to a different dimension in the process than its original purpose. In fact, they have occupied a large space on domestic and even global media and stayed on the agenda of Turkey for a long time. These protests which started as an environmental movement turned into a political opposition against the government to protest the restrictions on freedom of thought and expression, mainly and some applications of the administration.
There were many casualties and several loss of innocent lives (from the public mainly) caused in clashes between the security and protestors during which pepper gas and other stuff such as plastic bullets etc. were used by the police.
