Prosecutor objects to decision to release man who attacked Gezi protesters with machete

ISTANBUL - Doğan News Agency

S.Ç. was seen holding a machete in the footage. DHA Photo

The Istanbul Public Prosecutors’ Office has objected to a court decision to release a man who attacked Gezi Park protesters with a machete near Taksim Square after he was detained on July 6.

Prosecutor Veysi Büyükkılıç requested the arrest of the assailant, identified as S.Ç., citing the available evidence of the incident and the nature of the crime.

S.Ç. had been released by an Istanbul court after being summoned to the police station for testimony and sent to court on charges that he “intended to injure and resisted commissioned officers,” after videos emerged showing him and others attacking protesters with machetes.

S.Ç. was seen kicking a woman in the back while holding a machete, hours after police staged a heavy-handed attack on Gezi protesters on July 6. The footage was recorded in the Talimhane area, next to Taksim Square, where a dozen touristic hotels are located.

He is a local shopkeeper who is struggling under a 600,000 Turkish Lira debt, daily Milliyet reported. He was quoted as saying that he had lost the money because of the ongoing Gezi Park protests.