Lawyers on Thursday appealed the arrest of nine activists detained for protesting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during a speech last week, accusing the president of continuing trade with Israel despite Ankara’s claims of an embargo over Tel Aviv’s military actions in Gaza, the BirGün daily reported.

The appeal, filed on Thursday with the İstanbul 10th Criminal Court of Peace, contests the arrests of the activists who interrupted Erdoğan’s November 29 speech at the TRT World Forum in Istanbul. The protesters accused Erdoğan of hypocrisy, citing allegations that Turkey is facilitating crude oil shipments to Israel despite its public stance against Israeli military actions in Gaza.

The protest, which included slogans like “Zionists continue their activities in our seas and ports” and “Stop fueling genocide,” led to the arrest of seven women and two men on charges of “insulting the president” and participating in an unlawful assembly.

The appeal filed by the activists’ lawyers argues that the arrests were unjustified, lacking concrete evidence or legal grounds.

“The arrest decision and judicial supervision measures are unlawful and reflect the arbitrary use of authority by a panicked judge,” the filing stated. “There is no evidence of an intent to flee, nor any indication that the suspects sought to hide or alter evidence, intimidate witnesses or obstruct the investigation. The charges do not justify detention.”

The lawyers also criticized the prosecutor’s office for what they described as a “manipulative effort to create a crime.” The slogans shouted by the activists, the lawyers said, did not contain content that could legally constitute “insulting the president” under Turkish law.

Peaceful protest criminalized

The lawyers said the imprisoned activists protested the participation of Elchin Ibadov, CEO of the Azerbaijani oil company SOCAR, as a speaker at the forum. SOCAR has come under criticism for allegedly facilitating crude oil shipments to Israel via Turkey, which the activists believe undermines the government’s public support for Palestine.

In a statement outside the courthouse, the lawyers emphasized that the protesters were exercising their right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.

“Nine young friends of Palestine have peacefully expressed their opposition to SOCAR’s role in supplying fuel to Israel. Instead of addressing their legitimate concerns, they were detained for three days, referred to court and unjustly arrested,” the lawyers said. “They were deprived of their freedom simply for expressing their opinion.”

The arrests follow increasing scrutiny of Turkey’s trade relations with Israel. Reports have highlighted continued shipments of crude oil from Turkey’s Ceyhan port to Israel, despite an embargo announced in May. Investigations by advocacy groups such as Stop Fueling Genocide have tracked oil tankers reportedly rerouting shipments to Israel through intermediary destinations.

Critics argue that Erdoğan’s government is contradicting its pro-Palestinian rhetoric with policies that enable Israel’s military operations in Gaza. Activists have also accused SOCAR of playing a key role in facilitating these transactions.

The protest during Erdoğan’s speech reflects growing frustration among activists who view the government’s response to the Gaza crisis as performative. The nine detainees reportedly criticized Erdoğan for failing to take meaningful action to stop trade with Israel while making symbolic gestures of support for Palestine.

In their appeal, the lawyers requested the immediate release of the arrestees, arguing that the charges do not justify continued imprisonment.

“This is a clear violation of their fundamental rights,” the appeal states. “Their pretrial detention must end immediately, and this injustice must be rectified.”

Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza following a Hamas’attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 that resulted in the death of 1,206 people.

According to the health ministry in Gaza, more than 44,600 people have been killed in Gaza since then, mostly civilians. The UN has said the figures are reliable.

Erdoğan has branded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the “butcher of Gaza” and compared him to Nazi Germany’s Adolf Hitler.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice over its ongoing military campaign in Gaza.

Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant are sought by the International Criminal Court over war crimes on accusations of deliberately targeting civilian population in Gaza as well as using starvation as a weapon of war.

A report released by Amnesty International today concludes that Israel’s actions in Gaza qualify as genocide.