Istanbul court releases 47 Fenerbahçe fans, sends 1 to jail

PanARMENIAN.Net - Istanbul’s Kadıköy Court released 47 Fenerbahçe fans on Tuesday, May 15 and sent 1 to prison, after violence followed Galatasaray's Turkish league championship in a goalless derby match with Fenerbahçe on Saturday, Today's Zaman reported.

One of the detainees, Tunahan İ, was convicted of throwing a Molotov cocktail at a police vehicle at a gas station outside Fenerbahçe Şükrü Saraçoğlu Stadium and sent to Maltepe Prison in Istanbul. The fans who were released were greeted by their families outside the courthouse and chanted slogans in support of Fenerbahçe.

On Saturday, police used tear gas to disperse fans in and around the stadium and 36 people are reported to have been wounded in clashes. Police also reported that nine police cars and six ambulances were damaged. Furthermore, several units from the Istanbul Police Department were reportedly reviewing video footage of the clashes that occurred in and around the stadium.

Violent incidents occurred not only in Istanbul, but in many other Turkish cities as well. Police detained 17 people in İzmit province and 12 people were injured in fights between the two teams' fans in Kayseri on Saturday. In addition, a 40-year-old man died in the Görele district of Giresun province when Galatasaray fans shot in the air in celebration of the championship on Saturday.