‘I will commit the same crime every day,’ says teen sentenced for joining Gezi protests
Mustafa Ali Tonbul (R) after his surgery with his father, Mehmet.
A 17-year-old high school student sentenced to three months in jail with four other teenagers by a Childrenâs Court for setting up tents during last yearâs Gezi protests in Ä°zmir has expressed his dismay for the ruling handed out Dec. 26.
Mustafa Ali Tonbul, whose sentence was turned into a fine and will not be executed unless he commits the same offense in the next three years, defiantly said the ruling would not intimidate him from continuing political activism.
âI will commit the same crime every day, because, in my judgment, that is not a crime. We want an equal future with the rich. My friends are also of the same opinion. We will continue to commit that crime,â Tonbul said.
The student, who was left permanently injured after a police tear gas canister hit his skull at the protests, questioned why the protesters who did not use any violence at the demonstrations were convicted while the police officer who fatally injured 14-year-old Berkin Elvan was still free.
âThey might not find the officer who injured me, but they know the one who killed Berkin Elvan. Why donât they put him on trial? Whereas, I havenât committed any crime and I am the one standing trial. I want the prime minister to answer my questions,â he said.
The Ä°zmir court has refused to change the prison sentence for one of the minors, who will enter prison, unlike Tonbul and three other teenagers.
Tonbulâs father also slammed the âinjustice,â stressing his sonâs severe head injuries. âThis is a tragicomedy. The victim is my son, but he is also the one who is being punished. The one who will face lifelong problems is my son, but the real criminals...
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