İSTANBUL - Osman Kavala has been given an aggravated life sentence for "attempted overthrow," the other defendants have been sentenced to 18 years in prison for assisting this crime.

 

The second session of the final hearing of the Gezi trial is taking place yesterday.

 

After the rights advocates completed their statements against the prosecution's opinion at Friday's hearing, their lawyers made a press release.

 

The lawyers made their defense against prosecutor Edip Şahiner's opinion at the İstanbul 13th Heavy Penal Court

 

Osman Kavala, who has been held at the Silivri Prison for 1,637 days, was again not brought to the courtroom. Because of a problem in the videoconference system, only his voice can be heard.

 

Other defendants, including Mücella Yapıcı, Çiğdem Mater, Can Atalay and Tayfun Kahraman, were present in the courtroom.

 

After the last words of the defendants, the court recessed the hearing to write its verdict.

 

Following the 45-minute break, the audience was let in the courtroom and the verdict was pronounced.

 

Osman Kavala was given an aggravated life sentence for "attempting to overthrow the government" as per article 312 of the Turkish Penal Code.

 

Mücella Yapıcı, Çiğdem Mater, Hakan Altınay, Mine Özerden, Can Atalay, Tayfun Kahraman and Yiğit Ali Ekmekçi were sentenced to 18 years in prison for assisting this crime and ruled for their arrest.

 

After the verdict was announced, the audience chanted, "Everywhere is Taksim, everywhere is resistance," the slogan of the Gezi Park protests.