Turkey court acquits rights defender Kavala in Gezi park trial

A Turkish court on Tuesday acquitted all 16 defendants over their alleged roles in the 2013 Gezi park protests in Istanbul.

The verdict brings to an end a controversial trial that had been slammed by government critics as an attempt to silence opposition voices.

The 16 suspects were accused of trying to overthrow the government during 2013 protests in Istanbul's Gezi Park. Cheers erupted in the court as the judge ruled there was "not enough concrete evidence" to convict them.
The judge said there was "not enough concrete evidence" against the accused, which included leading businessman and rights defender Osman Kavala.

Updates to follow...

nm/stb (dpa, dw, Reuters)