Fourteen high school girls are on trial in İstanbul for alleged membership in a terrorist organization as part of a decade-long crackdown on the Gülen movement, with prosecutors on the third day of the proceedings questioning their prayers and everyday activities as evidence of terrorism.
The trial, which began on Monday at the İstanbul 24th High Criminal Court, involves 41 defendants, including 14 minors. The charges are part of a broader effort by Turkish authorities to target alleged followers of the Gülen movement, a faith-based group inspired by US-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gülen.
The Turkish government, led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has accused the movement of orchestrating a failed coup in 2016, although Gülen and the movement deny any involvement. Since the coup, Erdoğan’s government has carried out a sweeping crackdown, investigating more than 700,000 people on terrorism-related charges, many of them for tenuous links to the Gülen movement.
The trial has attracted widespread attention and criticism due to the nature of the charges.
During the third day of the trial, the court questioned the minors about their religious practices, including why they prayed, recited certain Quranic verses and participated in other group religious activities. One of the teenage defendants responded in disbelief when asked about her prayers, saying, “I never thought that my prayers would one day be brought against me as a terrorism charge.”
Defense attorney Hatice Yıldız, who represents several of the defendants, expressed disbelief at the line of questioning, pointing out that much of the prosecution’s case rests on routine religious and social activities. “We have not found any evidence of armed organization activities,” Yıldız said. “The most frequently mentioned words in the courtroom over the past three days have been Quran, prayer and religious recitation.”
One defendant was asked, “Who asked you to recite the prayer of sincerity [Ikhlas, the 112th chapter of the Quran] 1,000 times on the day before Eid?”
Another was questioned about why she went bowling and who paid for it. The questions focused on routine social interactions and religious practices.
Critics have pointed out that the evidence presented by the prosecution is largely based on witness statements from two individuals who are benefiting from Turkey’s repentance program, which offers reduced sentences in exchange for testimony against alleged members of the Gülen movement. Human rights advocates have long criticized this program for encouraging false accusations in exchange for leniency.
The trial has sparked widespread condemnation from human rights organizations and legal experts, who argue that Turkey’s anti-terrorism laws are being used to target innocent individuals, including minors. The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has repeatedly criticized Turkey’s broad application of its anti-terror laws, particularly Article 314 of the Turkish Penal Code, which criminalizes membership in a terrorist organization. Critics say the law is overly vague, allowing the government to prosecute individuals for routine social and religious activities.
Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu, a human rights advocate and member of the pro-Kurdish Democracy and Equality Party (DEM Party), has been vocal in his criticism of the trial. On the second day of the proceedings, Gergerlioğlu was ejected from the courtroom after he criticized the trial in a series of tweets. “People are being punished for simply living their lives,” he tweeted, highlighting the absurdity of the charges against the teenage girls.
Judge Şenol Kartal, who is overseeing the case, ordered Gergerlioğlu to leave the courtroom, citing his tweets as the reason for his removal. Speaking outside the courthouse, Gergerlioğlu expressed disbelief at the judge’s decision. “I was sitting quietly in the courtroom, observing the trial as a member of parliament,” he said. “The judge asked me to leave because he was upset about my tweets. Is this the state of justice in Turkey?”
Gergerlioğlu has vowed to file a complaint with Turkey’s Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK), accusing the judge of violating his rights and failing to ensure a fair trial. He described the proceedings as politically motivated and called for greater international attention to the case, arguing that the charges are part of a broader crackdown on dissent in Turkey.
The case has been marred by significant legal and procedural irregularities. Defense attorneys have pointed out several violations in the investigation process, including the unlawful surveillance and wiretapping of the defendants. According to Turkish law, wiretaps can only be authorized if there is strong suspicion based on concrete evidence of a crime. However, in this case, the wiretaps were reportedly conducted without any supporting evidence, raising concerns about the legality of the investigation.
Speaking to Turkish Minute on Monday, Lale Demirkazan, another defense lawyer representing some of the minors, described the prosecution’s case as built on assumptions and speculation rather than concrete evidence
The trial has also been criticized for its psychological impact on the minors involved. Many of the teenage girls have reportedly been subjected to psychological abuse while in custody, with some experiencing lasting trauma. Human rights groups have expressed concern that the trial could have long-term effects on the mental health of the defendants.
The Brussels-based human rights organization Solidarity with Others has condemned the trial, arguing that it violates both national and international laws, including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the European Convention on Human Rights. The group pointed to specific violations, such as the arbitrary detention of minors on false charges, the lack of legal grounds for the accusations, and the failure to ensure the right to a fair trial.
The trial is part of a broader political crackdown that has been ongoing in Turkey since the coup attempt in 2016. In the years following the coup, the government has carried out widespread arrests and investigations targeting alleged members of the Gülen movement and other political opponents.
Between June 2023 and June 2024, Turkish authorities conducted 5,543 police operations targeting individuals allegedly linked to the Gülen movement, resulting in 1,595 arrests.
The international community has largely rejected Turkey’s claims that the Gülen movement is a terrorist organization, with many viewing the crackdown as politically motivated. Human rights organizations have repeatedly called for an end to the prosecution of individuals based on flimsy and unsubstantiated evidence.