The suspects were sent to jail pending trial by an İzmir court after they were interrogated at the İzmir Police Department’s counter-terrorism unit. They are accused of provoking protests, damaging public and private property, membership in a terrorist organization and attacking police officers.
Tens of thousands of people joined nationwide protests following a police crackdown on participants in a peaceful sit-in in İstanbul’s Gezi Park near Taksim Square on May 31. The protesters are dissatisfied with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s 10-year rule and his government’s plans to build a replica of the Ottoman Topçu Barracks over the park as part of the Taksim rejuvenation project. Five people, including a policeman, have died and more than 5,000 have been injured in the clashes, according to a Turkish rights group.