MOSCOW, December 16 (Sputnik) – The newspaper said that prosecutors are seeking life imprisonment for 35 members of the leftist Carsi, the most famous group supporting the Besiktas club, for plans "to create an image similar to the Arab Spring that could be provided to the foreign press with the aim of ousting the legal Turkish government by illegal means."
Carsi members, according to the newspaper, played a crucial role in the Gezi protests and continued to rally even after police started quashing the demonstrators.
The 35 Carsi members facing trial are also accused of having attempted to break into the Prime Minister's office during the protests, according to the newspaper.
The Gezi protests erupted in Turkey in May 2013 over a governmental decision to re-plan Taksim Gezi Park in Istanbul. The protests soon spread across Turkey, resulting in civil unrest and inviting criticism of the Turkish government's handling of the protests. The European Union, human rights and other organizations denounced the violent crackdown on the protesters.
