Third postponement in İskeçe Turkish Union March Case

The court case concerning a march organized in 2021 by the İskeçe Turkish Union (İTB) to protest a rejection decision by the Supreme Court has been postponed for the third time.

The hearing, which was scheduled to take place on Monday, December 15, at the Gümülcine Courthouse, was postponed due to the absence of defense attorney Ercan Ahmet, who had another hearing on the same day at the Thessaloniki Criminal Court. It was announced that the next hearing will be held on February 17, 2026.

Speaking after the hearing, attorney Ahmet Kara recalled that criminal proceedings are ongoing against some participants of the protest march on the grounds that they did not wear masks. “We came to the Gümülcine Courthouse this morning for the hearing. However, the case was postponed. We believe that all defendants will be acquitted at the next hearing,” Kara said.

Former Xanthi Turkish Union President Ozan Ahmetoğlu, who is among the defendants, also commented on the case. He noted that the application submitted to the Supreme Court for the restoration of İTB’s legal status and legal personality, in line with European Court of Human Rights rulings, was once again rejected in June 2021.

Following this decision, Ahmetoğlu stated, a peaceful protest march was organized. He emphasized that an investigation was launched seven months after the march—held outdoors during the summer—on the allegation that participants did not wear masks, and that this investigation was later turned into a criminal case, leaving the matter to public judgment.

At the Gümülcine Courthouse, defendants Ozan Ahmetoğlu, Gürhan Ömeroğlu, and Nihat Osmanoğlu, along with attorney Ahmet Kara, were present, while the remaining defendants were represented by their lawyers.