Turkish prosecutors seek more than 10 years in prison for racist attack during football match

Duvar English 

A prosecutor’s office in Bursa has demanded three assailants get a prison sentence of 10 years and five months for the crimes of “nonaccidental injury” and “inciting a riot and damaging property at a sporting field,” regarding the racist attack against Amedspor players, according to reporting by state-run Anadolu Agency.

The prosecution had started an investigation into the racially motivated attack against Cantuğ Temel, the goalkeeper for the Amedspor football team that took place on March 5 during a match with Bursaspor.

The indictment included a statement from goalkeeper Temel who was able to identify his assailants from photographs after the incident. One was a former Bursaspor executive, one was a security chief and a security officer of the stadium. Accordingly, Temel later decided to drop charges. 

A player from the opponent Bursaspor team also pressed charges against the individual who kicked him in the chest in the walkout after the match ended. It was revealed that the assailant was again the security chief. 

The indictment also stated that security camera footage clearly showed one defendant punching Temel, and the victim and witness accounts matched with forensic examination reports even though the defendants have denied all accusations. 

The three defendants will be tried out of custody, and they are banned from attending any future matches.

Kurdish Associations condemned the attack and the racist messaging against Amedspor from Bursaspor supporters during the match. Fans and players of Amedspor have long been targeted by nationalist political figures and football fans before the attack.