Chris Stephenson, a socialist activist in Turkey and lecturer at Istanbul’s Bilgi university, has been acquitted of possessing “propaganda for a terrorist organisation”.
Chris Stephenson and his supporters
On 15 March he attended a court hearing for activists charged for signing an Academics for Peace statement calling on the Turkish state to stop its brutal war against the Kurdish national movement.
As Chris entered the court he was searched by police, who found invitations to a Newroz (Kurdish New Year) celebration in his bag.
The leaflets had been printed by the People’s Democratic Party (HDP), which is being attacked by Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Last week at his trial Chris told the court, “It was the desire for peace that brought me here. I still want peace.
“This is not a crime. I reject all the charges in the indictment against me.”
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