Almost 200 students, journalists on trial over Istanbul protests
A trial of almost 200 people, including journalists, arrested during anti-government protests following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu launched on Friday.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/04/19/almost-200-students-journalists-on-trial-over-istanbul-protests
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A trial of almost 200 people, including journalists, arrested during anti-government protests following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu launched on Friday.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/04/19/almost-200-students-journalists-on-trial-over-istanbul-protests
Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages
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00:00Almost 200 people appeared in court as Turkey launched a trial over Istanbul protests.
00:07A total of 189 defendants, mostly students, were accused of participating in banned demonstrations
00:14and disobeying police orders to disperse.
00:17The protests were sparked after Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was detained on the 19th of March
00:23and jailed days later on charges of corruption.
00:27Many view his arrest as politically motivated, as Imamoglu is widely believed to be the biggest challenger
00:34to President Erdogan in the 2028 election.
00:37The government denies these claims, insisting that the judiciary is independent
00:42and that courts operate freely.
00:44Among the defendants were seven journalists who were arrested while reporting on the protests.
00:50The defendants are among the more than 2,000 people who were arrested
00:54for taking part in the country's largest mass demonstrations in over a decade.
00:59Hundreds gathered outside the court demanding the acquittal of all defendants,
01:03who they say were exercising their constitutional rights.