88 acquitted in Saraçhane case, 2 handed suspended 7.5-month sentences

In a case stemming from protests in Saraçhane against the detention of Ekrem İmamoğlu in Istanbul, a court acquitted 88 defendants. Two defendants were sentenced to 7 months and 15 days in prison based on their social media posts; in both cases, the judgment was deferred.

Istanbul Bar Association President Prof. Dr. İbrahim Kaboğlu, who attended the hearing, said they found the Istanbul Governorate's ban on demonstrations and marches issued for March 19-23, 2025, to lack legal foundation, and emphasized that law enforcement's use of force based on this ban created a cascading violation of the constitution.

The case is a product of mass detentions targeting crowds gathered in Saraçhane in March 2025 following İmamoğlu's detention. Hundreds of people were briefly detained at that time. The verdict is being monitored for its precedential value in many other ongoing Saraçhane cases.