Military Court Rules 3 of 5 Greek Cypriot Suspects to Be Tried Without Detention

The five suspects—G.G. (66, M), A.K. (60, M), A.K. (60, F), N.G. (63, F), and A.L. (68, M)—were brought before the Military Court yesterday. The hearing was adjourned to September 17, with the court ordering that the three defendants be released under the conditions previously set by the Court of Appeal. The remaining two defendants continue to be held due to ongoing cases at the İskele District Court.

Witnesses and Evidence Continue to Be Presented
During today’s session, three additional witnesses were heard, bringing the total number of witnesses to 18, while the number of exhibits submitted to the court reached 30. The witnesses included a police sergeant from the Administrative and Personnel Branch, a police sergeant from the İskele District Police, and a court clerk from the Military Court.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys Uğur Çulhaoğlu and Öncel Polili participated in questioning the witnesses. Defense lawyers raised concerns over alleged gaps in the investigation, claiming that no testimony favorable to the defendants had been collected and accusing the authorities of concealing facts.

The police testified that the list of individuals who filed complaints against Simon Aykut in Southern Cyprus is held at the TRNC Police Headquarters. Defense attorneys noted that the name of one of the detained suspects matches a name on this list, suggesting that the arrests may have been influenced by errors or bias.

Background on Detention and Previous Rulings
The suspects were initially detained on July 19 after G.G. entered the TRNC via the Akyar Land Gate in Gazimağusa without completing proper border procedures, allegedly violating a military restricted area. The other four were in the vehicle at the time.

The Supreme Court previously overturned a 13-day detention order for the five suspects, allowing them to be released under conditions including travel restrictions, a 200,000 TL cash bail each, and weekly police reporting.

Details of the Initial Complaints
According to information obtained from Özgür Gazete, the initial complaint in the Simon Aykut case was filed by Burçin Döveç, a co-owner of the relevant site, followed by complaints from Ceyhun Tunalı and Ahmet Noyan. Police confirmed that the complainants had never met the defendants. The complaint was reportedly coordinated by former Chamber of Commerce president and former CTP MP Hasan İnce, who informed Döveç.

Police also noted that one of the complainants shares the same name as one of the currently detained suspects. Attempts to arrest that individual reportedly led to the detention of other suspects, raising concerns about procedural errors and police overreach.