Prosecutors seek the arrest of four in May Day detentions

Özge EĞRİKAR / Fırat ALKAÇ ISTANBUL

CHP deputy Mahmut Tanal makes a statement to the press in Çağlayan.

Following an eventful day in Istanbul’s Çağlayan Courthouse, a prosecutor May 4 demanded the arrest of four people on terror charges out of the 171 people detained on May Day.

Istanbul Prosecutor’s Office ruled for the extension of the detainees on May 3, demanding another 24 hours. The detainees’ lawyers appealed to the decision, but it was again rejected by the Prosecutor’s Office. As a protest, lawyers, joined by main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy Mahmut Tanal and Istanbul Bar Association board member Hasan Kılıç, staged a sit-in inside the Çağlayan Courthouse until morning.

A total of 171 people have been detained as part of the police crackdown on protesters on May Day in Istanbul. The governorship of Istanbul had announced it would not allow any rallies at Taksim Square, and intervened on the groups trying to march to the city center with water cannons and tear gas.

Some 11 of the 171 people were taken to the Anti-Terror Unit of the Turkish police on suspicions of terror. On May 4 a prosecutor sought the arrest for four people of the 11.

Tanal complained about the lengthy detention period. “This is a clear violation of human rights,” he said. “The right to free jurisdiction was violated. This is a political act. I congratulate the lawyers starting this struggle. If they did not start it, maybe [the prosecutors] would demand a third additional detention period.”