Hate Banner Against Armenians Punished

An Istanbul court found 6 defendants guilty for carrying a banner including hate speech against Armenias during a protest in Istanbul on the 25th anniversary of Khojaly Massacre in Azerbaijan. The judge sentenced them to 5 month of prison which was later on commuted to a fine of roughly 1,300 euros.

10 defendants stood trial today where they denied charges and asked for dismissal. The judge found 6 defendants--Derya Kabakçı, Burak Kahveci, Cihan Dabak, Umut Akbulut, Hasan Hüseyin Kocabey and Kazım Büyükbunar--guilty for "igniting hatred and revenge among public" according to Penal Code Article 216. Charges on other defendants--Onur Gürecioğlu, Recep Aksoy, Arzu Bekçi ve Samet Aksakal--were dismissed as no evidence supported that they carried the banner.

On February 26, dozens of protestors gathered in Istanbul's Taksim Square for the 25th anniversary of Khojaly Massacre, a killing of around 700 Azeri people by Russian and Armenian Army during the Nagorno-Karabakh War in 1992. The defendants were charged for opening a banner that included hate speech against Armenians.

This article has been compiled from CNNTURK. (EA/HK)