An İstanbul court on Friday ordered the release from jail of 11 out of 19 defendants in an ongoing trial in which high school girls and others are accused of alleged membership in a terrorist organization, part of a decade-long crackdown on the Gülen movement, the Velev news website reported.
The trial, involving 41 individuals accused of membership in a terrorist organization, centers on routine social and educational activities, which authorities claim are linked to the Gülen movement.
The Turkish government, led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has accused the faith-based Gülen movement of orchestrating a 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.
“The interim ruling is being read, and so far, 11 have been released,” defense attorney Hatice Yıldız announced on social media on the fifth day of hearings at the İstanbul 24th High Criminal Court.
Another defense attorney, Lale Demirkazan, said, “Some of the detained defendants, mainly students, have been released, while others remain imprisoned. The trial has been adjourned until December 12-13.”
Several young defendants were among those released; however, the court’s decision to continue the detention of Aysu Bayram, a liver transplant recipient and Parkinson’s patient, sparked outrage. Bayram is being tried along with her three daughters, aged 15, 16 and 19, all of whom are accused in the same case.
Upon hearing the court’s decision, Bayram’s 16-year-old daughter fainted in the courtroom, the Kronos news website reported.
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.
During the five-day hearing, many of the young defendants, aged 14 to 17, were visibly emotional, with some breaking down in tears while lawyers presented their defense. Attorney Yıldız shared the emotional toll the trial has taken on the minors, stating that one of her clients had been crying before the court session even started.
The trial has attracted international attention, with prominent human rights organizations and observers closely monitoring the case. Professor Antonio Stango, president of the Italian Federation for Human Rights, attended the hearings and voiced concerns about the charges and courtroom proceedings. Stango said the case appeared to be based on political prejudice and lacked any clear evidence of a crime.
“I see many young girls accused of simply gathering together and doing what any normal young person would do,” Stango said, expressing surprise at the questions posed by the court. “For a crime to exist, there must be a victim, and the crime must be clearly defined by law. I did not see any of this in the trial documents I reviewed.”
Stango also noted that the court president’s intimidating behavior toward the minors raised further concerns. “I will bring this case to the attention of the Italian Parliament in the coming days,” he added.
Parents under investigation
In addition to the charges against the minors, prosecutors have also targeted their parents, many of whom were previously dismissed from public service jobs through government decrees during the post-2016 coup purges. Prosecutors argue that the children could not have engaged in these activities without their parents’ knowledge or consent, presenting this as evidence of broader organizational ties.
The defense has repeatedly dismissed these claims, pointing out that the parents’ involvement in their children’s education and social activities does not constitute criminal behavior.
While the release of 11 defendants was seen as a partial victory for the defense, the trial is far from over. The remaining defendants, including those still in jail, will return to court in mid-December. The defense team continues to argue that the charges are baseless, and many human rights organizations have called for the complete dismissal of the case.
Attorney Demirkazan expressed hope that the trial will ultimately clear all defendants of the charges, stating that the case highlights the Turkish government’s efforts to criminalize individuals for their perceived connections to the Gülen movement.
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.