Ten defendants were released in the southern Turkish city of Gaziantep after a court acquitted them of charges of carrying out propaganda for a terrorist organization.
In a landmark verdict, the court ruled that defendants, who were accused of chanting slogans in favor of Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed leader of terrorist organization PKK in a 2013 event, were executing their right of freedom of expression.
Prosecutors had asked the court to hand down prison sentences of up to five years for defendants on charges of terrorist propaganda for chanting Kurdish and Turkish slogans "Long live leader Apo," "We are with you Öcalan." The defendants were released pending trial after their initial detention during two rallies in Gaziantep. Some defendants had admitted to chanting slogans while others claimed they did not.
The verdict comes after a new court was assigned to the case when a specially authorized court looking into the case was abolished last year.
The judges said in their verdict that the indictment of the defendants showed they merely chanted slogans, and footage of the rally presented as evidence did not contain "any slogans legitimizing or praising any terrorist organization."
"Slogans uttered by defendants reflect their personal views and do not have criminal content," the verdict announced, and pointed out that the slogans should be viewed as part of the right of freedom of thought and expression guaranteed under the European Convention on Human Rights and the Turkish Constitution.
