The İstanbul 30th High Criminal Court on Thursday ruled for a continuation of the pretrial detention of Osman Kavala, a prominent Turkish businessman who stands accused of financing the 2013 Gezi Park protests.
Kavala has been in jail since November 2017.
The Gezi demonstrations in the summer of 2013 started as a protest against the redevelopment of a park in İstanbul, a city with limited green space, and quickly spread across the country.
Then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan dismissed the idea that the protests were environmentally motivated, saying they aimed to topple his government. The defendants deny all charges against them.
The indictment calls for life sentences without parole for the 16 defendants, who are accused of attempting to overthrow the government and financing the protests, among other charges.
The next hearing is set for Sept. 8 and 9.