Teenager labeled ‘terrorist’ by Interior Ministry acquitted in court

A court has acquitted Mehmet Akalan, a teenager who was publicly identified as a "terrorist" by the Interior Ministry, ruling that there was no evidence linking him to terrorism-related offenses.

Akalan was arrested in early 2024 during a raid in a village in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır while hiding in a woodshed next to his father’s house. He and his relative Hasip Şimşek were detained as part of a security operation and later put on trial.

At the time, the Interior Ministry described the arrests as a counterterrorism success, stating that "two terrorists were neutralized" during the operations. Hasip Şimşek, codenamed Demhat Eylül, and Mehmet Akalan, codenamed Memo, had been neutralized along with their weapons, according to the statement.

The ministry further alleged that Akalan was involved in multiple violent incidents, including explosive attacks in Diyarbakır’s Yenişehir district and an arson attack on a municipal vehicle. Minister Ali Yerlikaya echoed these claims on social media, saying, "The blood of our martyrs has not and will not go unpunished."

'Everyone named Mehmet is called Memo here'

Despite these accusations, the court ruled that Akalan was not a terrorist and had no connection to the alleged crimes. It stated that he had been hiding to avoid arrest on a separate charge related to participating in protests, for which he had already been convicted and was awaiting an appeal.

During his testimony, Akalan denied having any links to an armed group. "I was convicted in a juvenile court for attending protests, and while awaiting my appeal, the court issued a warrant for my arrest," he told the court. "Fearing that soldiers might come to the house to take me, I hid in a woodshed next to my father’s home."

He also rejected the claim that he had a "code name," stating, "They claim my code name is Memo, but in our region, everyone named Mehmet is called Memo. I also have many relatives with the same name and surname as me."

Akalan said his relative Hasip Şimşek was not with him at the time of his arrest and that security forces took him to a different location to be photographed together.

The court ruled that the prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence that Akalan was a member of an armed organization. It noted that an individual must be part of an organization’s armed unit and have a code name to be considered a militant. Given the lack of proof, the court found Akalan’s fear of arrest to be reasonable and ordered his acquittal and release.

However, he was not freed due to a previous juvenile court conviction that resulted in an outstanding prison sentence.

Despite the court ruling, the Interior Ministry’s website still hosts the statement identifying Akalan as a terrorist, and Minister Yerlikaya’s social media post remains public. The ministry has not commented on the acquittal. (AEK/VK)