Arrested Student Berkay Ustabaş Released

Student Berkay Ustabaş, who was arrested on January 5, 2018 for having attended the funeral of Berkin Elvan, has been released.

Tansu Pişkin

Arrested Student Berkay Ustabaş Released

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Trial of Revolutionary Youth Associations (DGD) Secretary General and İstanbul University Department of Sociology student Berkay Ustabaş continued at the İstanbul 26th Heavy Penal Court today (January 15).

The court board ruled that Berkay Ustabaş, who was being held at the Kırıkkale Type F Prison and attended his hearing via Audio and Visual Information System (SEGBİS), shall be released.

Giving verdicts of release for the other arrested defendants Adil Kayam and Ali Olcayto Öğretmen as well, the court board imposed an international travel ban on all of the three released defendants.

Özgür Arslan and Helin Bölek, who have been tried as part of the same lawsuit, have not been released. Accepting the requests of defendants' attorneys for additional time following the opinion as to the accusations, the court board ruled that the next hearing of the case shall be held at the courtrooms in Silivri Prison Campus on April 15, 2019 at 10 a.m.

Attorney Öztürk: Right to education denied for a year

Announcing its opinion as to the accusations, the Prosecutor's Office demanded that Berkay Ustabaş, Ali Olcayto Öğretmen and Adil Kayam shall be released considering the time that they had already served in prison.

The Office also demanded that Ustabaş shall be penalized for the charged offences "organizing, leading and participating in unlawful meetings and demonstrations", "attending meetings or demonstrations with arms" and "being a member of an armed terrorist organization."

Making a statement in response to the opinion as to the accusations, Berkay Ustabaş requested his acquittal. Repeating the requests for acquittal and release, the defendants' attorneys also requested additional time to make a statement regarding the opinion as to the accusations.

Erman Öztürk, the attorney of Ustabaş, requested time to examine the opinion as to the accusations as well as the release of Ustabaş by stating that "his right to education has been denied for a year."

Verdict of release

Announcing its interlocutory judgement, the court board ruled that arrested defendants Ustabaş, Öğretmen and Kayam shall be released with an international travel ban.

What happened?

Police officers of special operations department raided the house of Revolutionary Youth Associations (DGD) Secretary General Berkay Ustabaş on December 20, 2017.

Ustabaş, who is also a student at İstanbul University Department of Sociology and was not at home during the police raid, was arrested at the İstanbul Çağlayan Courthouse, where he went to make his deposition on January 5, 2018. Ustabaş was first sent to the Silivri Prison, then to the Kırıkkale Type F Prison.

In the indictment issued by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, Ustabaş was charged with "organizing, leading and participating in unlawful meetings and demonstrations", "attending meetings or demonstrations with arms" and "being a member of an armed terrorist organization."

In the indictment, it was also indicated that he was a part of the group who protested before and after the funeral of Berkin Elvan, who lost his life due to a pepper gas cartridge fired by a police officer during the Gezi Park Protests in 2013.

The indictment also recounted that Ustabaş participated in the Gezi Park protests and was detained along with 72 others on June 11, 2013 and released later on.

(TP/SD)

arrested students berkay ustabaş

Tansu Pişkin

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bianet muhabiri. İstanbul Üniversitesi Siyaset Bilimi ve Uluslararası İlişkiler Bölümü mezunu. Şubat-Mart 2017 dönemi bianet stajyeriydi. Mayıs 2017'den beri bianet'te.