Gezi protests not related to terror, prosecutor says

ANKARA - Doğan News Agency

DAILY NEWS photo, Emrah GÜREL

The Ankara Public Prosecutor in charge of terror activities has declined to oversee the Gezi Park case as being within the scope of terror crimes and ruled for a lack of jurisdiction, sending the file on to the press prosecutor.

The prosecutors did not find that the protests were aimed at "overthrowing the government," and stated that they should instead be evaluated within the scope of “damaging public property, resisting the police, and disturbance of public peace.”

There is not enough evidence to suggest the protests were linked with terrorist organizations, the prosecutor’s office stated.

The Gezi Park protests in Turkey began at the end of May, initially against a redevelopment plan in Istanbul before spreading across the country. The attempt to save the last green area in Istanbul’s central Taksim Square developed into the country’s largest source of turmoil in recent history, resulting in the deaths of five protesters and one police officer, leaving thousands injured.

Some 270 people were detained in Ankara during the protests, of whom 78 were arrested and the remainder released.