Turkish court decides for release of eight Gezi protesters, including flag vendor
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Pictures showed Ali Sarıçiçek being detained holding flags with a picture of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic, in Taksim. DHA Photo
Turkish court decided today to release eight people, including a flag
vendor, who had been arrested during the Gezi protests on July 6, a day
after the vendor’s wife criticized the arrest of her husband, daily
Hürriyet reported.
The wife of Ali Sarıçiçek, the flag vendor
arrested during the Gezi protests, said he sold flags at the ruling
Justice and Development Party (AKP) rally in Istanbul’s Kazlıçeşme as
well. The prosecutor’s office said the reason for the arrest was
“resistance that prevented duty.”
Merhamet Sarıçiçek reacted to
the court’s decision to arrest her husband Ali Sarıçiçek, 59,
sarcastically, saying he had an organization of seven people, indicating
her five children, Doğan news agency reported.
Merhamet
Sarıçiçek spoke in front of the courthouse with her five children,
including her six-month-old twins, telling reporters that her husband
had sold flags during the AKP rally in Kazlıçeşme. “You release the man
with machete; they have this justice we have that. My husband sold flags
at the Kazlıçeşme [rally]. Why didn’t you arrest him then? He was only
selling flags in Taksim,” she said.
Pictures showed Ali
Sarıçiçek being detained holding flags with a picture of Mustafa Kemal
Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic, in Taksim.
Ali
Sarıçiçek’s lawyer, Tülay Odabaş, said they had told the court head many
times that her client was not a demonstrator but rather a street vendor
selling flags.
Odabaş said the family was barely surviving as
their only income had been the flags Ali Sarısülük was selling and asked
for the release of her client.
Meanwhile, the Istanbul Chief
Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement late July 15 that Ali Sarıçiçek
had not been arrested for selling flags, but for “resistance that
prevented duty,” and for “violating the demonstration and meeting law,”
Anadolu Agency reported.
“Eight people, including the suspect Ali
Sarıçiçek, were detained July 6 and arrested for committing crimes such
as ‘resistance that prevented duty,’ and ‘attending illegal
demonstrations without any weapons and not dispersing despite warning,’”
said the statement.
Prosecutor objects to release of 12 Gezi detaineesA Turkish prosecutor has objected to a court decision to release 12 people, including members of the Taksim Solidarity Platform, who were detained July 8 near Taksim Gezi Park, private news channel CNNTürk reported today.
On July 8, around 50 people were detained in accordance with the Gezi Park protest. Twelve detainees, including leading platform members like city planner Mücella Yapıcı, were released by the court a few days later.
