Three football fans detained over protesting Ankara bombings

Mesut Hasan Benli – ANKARA

Three Gençlerbirliği football club supporters were detained on Oct. 24 over banners protesting the Oct. 10 Ankara bombings during a football match in Ankara.

The fans, identified by the initials E.E.B., Ö.Y. and G.Y, protested the recent Ankara bombings by holding banners that read “Ankara 10.04 a.m.,” “Peace shall prevail” and “We are not good and we will not be” during a Spor Toto Super Leauge game between Gençlerbirliği and Osmanlıspor at the May 19 Stadium, which is located near the site of the bombings. Police detained the three supporters after the match in accordance with the misdemeanor law.

The three were released after giving testimony; however, they were fined 208 Turkish liras on the grounds that they violated the misdemeanor law. 

Meanwhile, Alper Keşmer, the lawyer of the detained supporters, said the police action was unlawful.
“It was obviously an unlawful action. I think the detainment and penalty were transactions against the clients’ freedom of expression,” said Keşmer.

The deadly double blasts ahead of a peace rally in Ankara killed at least 102 people and wounded hundreds, making it one of the country’s deadliest terror attacks.