On 25 March, the first hearing takes place in the trial of 46 people charged with ‘refusal to disperse despite warning and use of force’ under Article 32/1 of Turkey’s Law on Meetings and Demonstrations (Law No. 2911) during the 700th weekly vigil of the Saturday Mothers/People on 25 August 2018.
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Front Line Defenders urge the Turkish authorities to call for the immediate acquittal of the 46 and guarantee their right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly; and to ensure an immediate, thorough and impartial investigation into the allegations of excessive use of force and ill-treatment by the police in Istanbul’s Galatasaray Square on 25 August 2018, with a view to bringing those responsible to justice in accordance with international fair trial standards.