Trial of nearly 200 people opens after Turkey protests

A trial of nearly 200 people arrested in protests against the Turkish government has opened in Istanbul.

Mass demonstrations began on 19 March after Istanbul's mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu - a key rival of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan - was detained on corruption charges, which he denies.

Most of the 189 defendants in the trial, which opened on Friday at the Caglayan courthouse, are students, while eight are journalists.

Charges against them include taking part in illegal protests following a crackdown on public gatherings and failing to disperse despite warnings.

The journalists - including French AFP news agency reporter Yasin Akgül - were also detained on charges of "participating in unarmed meetings and marches against the law and not dispersing on their own despite warnings".

On Friday, lawyer Veysel Ok asked the judge to acquit them on the grounds that they were reporting on, not participating, in the protests, the AFP news agency reported.

While the request was rejected, the Turkish Journalists Union (TGS) said on social media that the files of eight journalists had been separated from those of the students.

İmamoğlu was due to run for the presidency in 2028 elections. His supporters see his arrest as a political move by Erdoğan.

Despite the Istanbul governorship declaring a ban on demonstrations and gatherings throughout the province, hundreds of thousands of people participated in the protests.

Since 19 March, police have detained nearly 2,000 people - many of them university students.