'Girl with red foulard' and four other Gezi protesters face 98 years in jail

ANTALYA – Doğan News Agency

The defendants include Ayşe Deniz Karacagil, a young protester who spent four months in custody and became publicly known as 'the girl with the red foulard' as prosecutors linked the color of her scarf to socialism. DHA Photo

Prosecutors in the southern province of Antalya have demanded up to 98 years in prison for five Gezi protesters who participated in demonstrations held after the death of a protester in Hatay last September, while also presenting a public transportation card as a key part of their evidence.

The defendants include Ayşe Deniz Karacagil, a young protester who spent four months in custody and became publicly known as “the girl with the red foulard” as police and prosecutors linked the color of her scarf with socialism during her interrogations. Karacagil faces between 24 and 98 years of prison for charges of “membership in a terrorist organization,” “opposing the Assembly Law,” and “resisting against law enforcement officers.”

Prosecutors demanded between 26 and 95 years and six months for Murat Sezgin, 16 and 55 years and four months for Mustafa Cihan Yılmaz, 11 and 26 years for Ali Karakuş, and 13 and 38 years for Leyla Nuyan.

The first hearing of the trial will be held at Antalya’s 6th Court of Serious Crimes on June 12.

The existence of a lawsuit had already drawn widespread ridicule and the prosecutors’ demand for mammoth prison sentences are attracting more opprobrium regarding the independence and common sense of prosecutors.

Twenty-year-old Karacagil’s interrogation, which focused on the color of her foulard, became infamous during the Gezi protests and was even turned into a theater play by a troupe.

She also faces between one and three years as part of another investigation opened by another prosecutor. The second probe was dismissed by her lawyers who stressed that a second lawsuit on similar charges to the current case was illegitimate.

However, Karacagil is set to appear in front of court for the second trial as well on June 13.