The fourth day of a terror trial in İstanbul revealed that police had investigated whether a 16-year-old high school student, who was only eight years old at the time of a coup attempt in 2016, had links to the event, the Velev news website reported on Thursday.
Forty-one defendants, 14 of whom are high school girls, are charged with alleged membership in a terrorist organization, as part of a decade-long crackdown on the Gülen movement.
The Turkish government, led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has accused the faith-based Gülen movement of orchestrating the failed coup in 2016, although Fethullah Gülen, who inspired the movement, 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 allegations, many of them for tenuous links to the Gülen movement.
Held at the İstanbul 24th High Criminal Court, the trial has attracted widespread attention and criticism for its focus on everyday activities such as attending religious gatherings, going to the movies and using food delivery services, which prosecutors have framed as signs of terrorist activity.
During the hearing defense attorneys reported that many of the girls broke down in tears when responding to the charges, expressing confusion and stress over the accusations.
Attorney Hatice Yıldız, who represents some of the defendants, noted that the atmosphere in the courtroom had been tense throughout the proceedings.
“Some of the minor girls were crying while the defense was being presented,” Yıldız wrote on social media, highlighting the emotional toll the trial has taken on the young defendants.
“One of my clients, a young girl, was in tears even before the session began. She told me, ‘For four days my nerves have been a wreck. What are we going through?’” Yıldız added, urging authorities to reconsider the case and warning that it offers no benefit to society or the country.
One of the most startling revelations of the day involved a police investigation into 16-year-old defendant M.A., which included an examination of financial activity in her Bank Asya account when she was just five and six years old.
Thousands of people in Turkey were convicted of terrorism simply because of actions such as using a mobile phone application known as ByLock; membership in a labor union or an association affiliated with the Gülen movement; having an account at the now-closed Bank Asya; sending their children to Gülen-linked schools; or having subscriptions to Gülen-affiliated publications, which are all considered signs of membership in the Gülen movement and criminal evidence.
The investigation into M.A., who was eight years old during the 2016 coup attempt, raised questions about the credibility of the charges.
Police reportedly looked into whether her name appeared in terrorism-related investigations, her ties to individuals under investigation and any possible connection to companies dissolved after the coup attempt.
Authorities also probed whether her name had surfaced in ByLock and whether her family had any affiliations with organizations that were shut down after the failed coup.
The police inquiry further questioned whether M.A. had been mentioned in the testimony of secret witnesses and if her name appeared in the lists of individuals targeted in post-coup investigations.
Routine activities framed as terrorism
The trial has been controversial for its treatment of normal social interactions as criminal behavior. The 41 defendants, including university students and high school girls, are being prosecuted for allegedly engaging in terrorist activities that prosecutors claim include playing sports together, studying in shared student housing, meeting at malls and ordering food through delivery apps.
A particularly striking moment came earlier in the trial when the court questioned the defendants about the mundane details of their personal lives. The students had to explain why they attended iftar meals, who requested that they recite Quranic verses before religious holidays and why they went bowling.
Court records also show that investigators considered these students’ shared rental of apartments near their schools as evidence of organized terrorist activity.
The defense team has repeatedly argued that such normal activities, which are part of daily life for many young people in Turkey, cannot reasonably be considered evidence of terrorism.
Harsh conditions during detention
The defense has also pointed to serious concerns about how the minors were treated during their initial detention in May. The 14 high school girls were taken to the Üsküdar Juvenile Branch and held without access to legal counsel for 16 hours. Police forbade the girls from speaking to one another and, according to reports, one officer threatened them with extreme violence.
The indictment, which was accepted by the İstanbul 24th High Criminal Court in July, includes 120 alleged terror-related incidents. These range from visiting friends’ homes to meeting at shopping malls and using popular apps to order food. Prosecutors also cite the defendants’ organization of an overseas trip as further evidence of illicit activity.
The central argument presented by the prosecution revolves around the claim that 12 university students allegedly organized English and religious study sessions at four different apartments in Istanbul, with parents sending their children to participate. The trial, critics argue, illustrates the extent to which ordinary activities are being criminalized in the government’s ongoing crackdown on the Gülen movement.
As the trial continues, defense attorneys and human rights advocates are raising concerns about the psychological impact on the young defendants.
The emotional distress caused by the trial was evident throughout the fourth day’s session, as several of the minors struggled to maintain their composure. The defense has consistently emphasized the absurdity of the charges, which they argue amount to a criminalization of basic social and educational activities.
“These are successful students,” said defense attorney Lale Demirkazan, who represents several of the defendants. “They attend some of the best universities in the country. The charges against them stem from nothing more than their academic achievements and their parents’ association with groups targeted by the government.”
The trial, which has been ongoing for four days, is expected to continue with further witness testimony and defense statements.