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Turkish unrest: Football fans stand trial

Wednesday, December 17 2014 by SNTV
  • Intro:

    The trial of thirty five Turkish football fans commenced on Tuesday. Supporters of Besiktas stand accused of helping to orchestrate a coup of Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan in May 2013.

    Script:

    Thirty-five Turkish football fans have gone on trial accused of attempting to stage a governmental coup.

    Supporters of Besiktas football club - one of Turkey's major clubs - stand on trial following scenes in Taksim Square from May 2013.

    The unrest began as a peaceful protest against the demolition of Gezi Park, a leafy corner of Taksim Square, but spread nation-wide after a brutal police crackdown. Prosecutors have since launched a series of court cases against those involved.

    Those prosecutors are accusing the supporters of instigating protests that were aimed at the then-to-be Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan.

    Erdogan, who won a presidential election in August, has vowed to hunt down the "traitors" behind the protests and a corruption scandal which emerged just over six months later.

    The indictment accuses the football fans of seeking to occupy Erdogan's Istanbul office near the Besiktas stadium "to create the appearance that a weakness of authority had emerged in the country".

    At least six protesters and one police officer died and thousands of people were hurt in an incident that is clearly dividing the Turkish people.

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