Turkish court acquits 9 civil activists of terror charges

A court in Istanbul on Tuesday acquitted nine leading Turkish civil society activists of terrorism-related charges, including philanthorpist Osman Kavala.

The defendants were accused of organizing mass anti-government protests in an attempt to overthrow the government in 2013. The court ruled that Kavala, the sole defendant still in jail, should be freed.

The protests began to protect a small park in central Istanbul from being redeveloped as an Ottoman-style shopping mall. But they grew into a wider protest movement across Turkey, challenging Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was the prime minister and is now Turkey's president.