A Turkish court on Wednesday acquitted more than two dozen activists who helped orchesrate mass protests in 2013 against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after a trial that was heavily criticized by human rights advocates.
The 26 defendants are all leaders of Taksim Solidarity, an umbrella group of civil society, union and political groups that was at the forefront of the May-June 2013 demonstrations that marked the biggest challenge yet to the dominance of the ruling Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP).
The activists had been charged with setting up a crime syndicate, violating public order and organizing illegal protests through the use of social media. All faced lengthy prison sentences if convicted.
"All of us were acquitted," Mucella Yapici, one of the leaders, told AFP. "It was an absurd case which meant to declare Taksim Solidarity a criminal organisation."
The trial began in Istanbul in June 2014 a year after the protests, which started as a small environmentally-focused effort to save Gezi Park -- one of the few green spots in the country's bustling metropolis.
The protests escalated into a nationwide wave of anger against Erdogan, then prime minister, and were ultimately surpressed by the police.
Numerous rights campaigners had called for the charges to be dropped, with Amnesty International calling the hearing a "politically motivated show trial".
Emma Sinclair-Webb, senior Turkey researcher at Human Rights Watch, wrote on Twitter after the court order that the acquittals were "unimportant" for the government.
"Seeing critics stand trial is a means to discredit and harass them," she said.
Suspects at the trial defended their involvement in the group.
"It is an honour for me to be a leader of an organisation in this case," Beyza Metin told the court.
"There is no violence in the activities of Taksim Solidarity," she said.
Erdogan has taken a tough stance on street unrest and has repeatedly condemned the protesters as "terrorists” seeking to undermine the state.
The acquittals come two days ahead of the labor day holiday which in Turkey is traditionally marked by protests. In recent years such protests have often led to clashes with police.
This year there is even more concern over clashes with police as it is the first May 1 since the government pushed controversial legislation through parliament giving the security forces greater powers to dissolve protests.
