There has been a new development in the case regarding the group named "C31K", which was brought to the agenda by our newspaper Cumhuriyet.
Ankara 19th High Criminal Court announced its decision in the case against 80 defendants who are members of the "C31K" group.
THE REPUBLIC HAS BROUGHT IT TO THE AGENDA
In the news titled "New threats from the violent group on Telegram: 'Tomorrow may be too late'" published in Cumhuriyet on September 7, new allegations were brought to the agenda about a group operating under the name "C31K" operating on Telegram.
In the news, it was pointed out that correspondence about a cat being tortured to death on September 7 was obtained about the group, which was stated to have been sharing images of torture against cats for about two years, explaining torture methods and making live broadcasts from time to time.
On the other hand, the news also included information that the group was not limited to violent content against animals, that it directed young people to violence and brutality, and that they praised the school attacks that took place last year in their correspondence.
TRIAL CONTINUED
The trial of 80 defendants, including children in the judicial process, who shared posts on social media platforms under the name "C31K" containing sexual abuse of children, torture of animals, and insults to relatives of martyrs and state officials, continued.
Some detained and undetained defendants and party lawyers attended the hearing of the case regarding the new generation criminal organization called "C31K", which was held at Ankara 19th High Criminal Court.
After reading the documents sent to the file, the presiding judge stated that the files coming from many parts of Türkiye were combined with the current case and made a promise to the detained defendants.
"I REGRET" DEFENSES
Detainee defendant Eray B requested the court to release him, arguing that he had been detained for 13 months, that he had nothing to do with the events and that he was innocent.
Detained defendant Koray K. said, "My mother and father are separated. I stayed in a child welfare institution. I had no social life outside. My family could not even come to see me. Prison was a turning point for me. I regret it." he said.
Arrested defendant Muhammet B claimed that he was tried for the crime of "obscenity" and that he did not qualify for a crime and said, "I have been detained for 1 year due to inconclusive evidence. I request my release." he declared.
The public prosecutor, who was asked for his opinion after the defendant's statements, asked the court to decide on the continuation of the current situation of the detained and non-detained defendants.
The defendant's lawyers stated that their clients' detention period turned into a punishment and demanded the return of the digital materials subject to the crime and the release of their clients.
THE HEARING HAS BEEN POSTPONED
Announcing its interim decision, the court decided to continue the current situation of the detained and non-detained defendants, and to hear some of the defendants in other provinces at the hearing through the Audio and Video Information System (SEGBİS) in the next hearing.
The hearing was postponed to 18 November.
FROM THE INDICTMENT
In the indictment prepared by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it was noted that the defendants were found to have shared sexual abuse of children, torture of animals, and insults to relatives of martyrs and state officials through the group known as Hellin31.Kati (C31K) on Telegram and Discord platforms.
The indictment stated that the defendants also tried to attract attention by sending threatening messages to the families of the victims in some social events, and that the individuals caused public outrage with such actions and made provocative posts that insulted national and moral values and praised terrorist organizations and organized crime organizations by using images with black banners bearing the C31K phrases.
In the indictment, it was noted that, as a result of the studies carried out, an investigation was launched upon the identification of individuals who were determined to be managers and members of the organization known as C31K and who were mentioned in the posts, search and seizure activities were carried out at the residences of the individuals, and according to the digital materials seized and the evidence collected during the investigation, the suspects who were members of the group committed the crimes charged against them within the framework of an "organizational activity".
The indictment prepared against the defendants for the crimes of "unlawfully obtaining or disseminating personal data", "being a member of an organization established to commit a crime", "opposition to the Cyber Security Law No. 7545", "using children in the production of obscene publications", "publicly insulting the religious values adopted by a segment of the public", "publicly insulting the memory of Ataturk", "obscenity" and "threatening to create fear and panic among the public" was filed in Ankara. It was accepted by the 19th High Criminal Court.
