Six freed in Gedik drug dealer case

ISTANBUL – Doğan News Agency

Protestors staged a sit-in outside the courthouse. DHA Photo

A total of six imprisoned defendants out of 22 involved in the case of 21-year-old Hasan Ferit Gedik, who was shot dead during a march against drug dealers in the Istanbul Anatolian-side neighborhood Gülsuyu in September 2013, were released on April 7.

Imprisoned defendants Süleyman Tüfekçi, Kinyas Taşhan, Yakup Kutlu, Şafak Velioğlu, Ercan Kütük and Ahmet Turhan were released after they gave testimony during a 14-hour hearing, while the court ruled for a continuation of detention for the other 16 imprisoned defendants.

The court also lifted a travel ban on three pending trial, as other defendants who were out of the city will testify in the next hearing via a video conference system.

The hearing was ultimately postponed to April 13, as the complainants were to be taken to the next hearing by force.

Gedik’s murder was one in a series of violent incidents which occurred in the neighborhood due to the ongoing conflict between drug dealers in the area and leftist groups, with the local residents backing the latter, regardless of their political views. 

The neighborhood, located on a hill on Istanbul’s Anatolian side, is among the hotspots where the local municipality has sought to carry out urban transformation projects which will completely transform the area. 

Just like in the Okmeydanı neighborhood on the European side of the city, where another large urban transformation project has been launched, Gülsuyu is also known for its significant Alevi community.