A Turkish court on Monday, October 12, acquitted 44 of 45 people tried over demonstrations held outside Istanbul City Hall in the Saraçhane area last year, following the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.
The remaining defendant was convicted of inciting the commission of a crime over a social media post and sentenced to seven months and 15 days in prison. The court, however, deferred the announcement of the verdict, a mechanism under Turkish law that can lead to the conviction being annulled if the defendant meets certain conditions, such as not committing another intentional offence, within a set probation period.
Background to the protests
İmamoğlu, a leading figure in the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and widely seen as a potential presidential challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was detained on March 19, 2025, as part of a corruption investigation into the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. He has denied wrongdoing.
His detention sparked the largest street protests Türkiye had seen in more than a decade. Many of the demonstrators were university students and young people, and Saraçhane, the square outside the municipality's headquarters in the Fatih district, became the focal point of nightly rallies. Demonstrations spread to other cities, and hundreds of people were detained in connection with them.
The government said the protests violated restrictions on public gatherings and that the judiciary was acting independently, while opposition parties and rights groups described the case against İmamoğlu as politically motivated.
Main trial continues
İmamoğlu went on trial on March 9 this year, almost a year after he was jailed. The proceedings against him and other defendants are ongoing, and no final verdict has been reached.
Several separate cases have been brought against people who took part in the 2025 demonstrations, including students and journalists.
The court's decision was reported without comment from prosecutors, defence lawyers or the defendants.
Sources
Photo: CeeGee / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
