A landmark trial against 16 people accused of "organizing and financing" peaceful protests in 2013 and attempting to "overthrow the government" began in Istanbul on Monday.

Two of the accused — respected businessman and rights activist Osman Kavala, and prominent NGO worker Yigit Aksakoglu — are been held in Istanbul's high-security Silivri prison, where the courthouse housing the trial is located.

Kavala rejected the "irrational claims which lack evidence" in his opening statement to the court.

"I was involved in projects contributing to peace and reconciliation. There is not a single piece of evidence or proof in the indictment that I prepared the ground for a military coup," Kavala told the court.

The 14 other defendants are at liberty. Some fled the country, such as lawyer Can Atalay, and Can Dundar — the former editor-in-chief of Cumhuriyet newspaper, who has lived in exile in Germany since 2016.

"At Gezi, people took to the streets to demand equality, freedom and justice," Atalay told Germany's dpa news agency. With the trial, the government is now trying to "rewrite history" and present the Gezi movement as a conspiracy and an attempted coup, he added.

Read more: Exiled Turkish journalist Can Dundar reunited with family in Germany after 3 years

Turkey protests - one month on Erdogan's heavy hand Turkey's month-long protests began with a peaceful sit-in to protect Gezi Park, one of the few green areas left in central Istanbul, from being turned into a shopping mall. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is depicted in the wall painting here, dismissed the protesters and allowed police to use tear gas, truncheons and water cannon.

Turkey protests - one month on Fighting talk Erdogan called the protesters vandals, extremists with foreign terrorist connections, sinners and underdogs. This fighting talk played well with his supporters, but served only to strengthen the resolve of the demonstrators - who began setting up tents in Gezi Park - and felt his speeches smacked of arrogance.

Turkey protests - one month on Occupy Gezi Within hours of Erdogan's speech and subsequent departure on a four-day visit across North Africa, President Abdullah Gul ordered the withdrawal of the police. Tens of thousands of protesters returned to Taksim and Gezi Park, enhancing a movement that sparked similar uprisings throughout the nation.

Turkey protests - one month on A life of its own As clashes continued throughout the country and in neighborhoods around Taksim, Gezi itself became a self-ruling commune that embraced a cross-section of people and organizations representing a multifaceted Turkey. They began chanting anti-government slogans, discuss future actions, express opinions or simply witness the phenomenal turn of events.

Turkey protests - one month on Divided nation While stressing the majority he achieved during the 2011 elections, Erdogan did not show any willingness to listen to the other half of the country that found a voice in the Gezi park occupation. The prime minister's attitude of defiance and the abusive crackdowns enforced by the police, were criticized worldwide.

Turkey protests - one month on The fight goes on After more than a week of occupation, Taksim and the barricaded streets leading to the square were raided by police causing violent clashes with the crowds that eventually were forced to retreat. On June 15, a last police raid forced a stronghold of activists out of Gezi Park, leveling the citadel of tents and sealing the grounds off to the public.

Turkey protests - one month on Preparing for a future The waning impact of the occupation's initial push and the will to protest non-violently gave activists and citizens a new raison d'etre: the desire to create an organized and well-defined political opposition platform. With Gezi sealed off, demonstrators began collecting in smaller groups around the city to discuss change and the future of the Gezi movement.

Turkey protests - one month on Standing up for your rights A new form of protest emerged when one man began a standing eight-hour vigil on Taksim square on June 17. Inspired by the peaceful, yet powerful act, thousands of people, like the man in this picture, have continued to return to Taksim to stand, often motionless, for their rights.

Turkey protests - one month on Striving for change Clashes between the authorities and citizens have continued right across the country, including in Istanbul and the capital Ankara. Many organizations plan to carry on their protest in a peaceful way, hoping the government and its supporters will listen and engage more with them, and work to bring about constructive change.

Turkey protests - one month on Perceptions of change A month on from the start, the movement shows little signs of abating. The overall impression is that the country is undergoing strong challenges and is divided. Young and secular people are fighting for changes, which are frowned upon by Erdogan's supporters. They, in turn, believe the government has done well, especially economically, in its decade of leadership. Author: Gaia Anderson



Fighting against the government

The protests began in 2013 as a peaceful environmentalist sit-in in Gezi Park — a small, green space in central Istanbul beside the city's famous Taksim Square — by people concerned about government plans to cut down trees to make space for a new shopping mall.

The peaceful demonstration then grew considerably into a nationwide anti-government movement following a brutal police crackdown.

'Bogus prosecutions'

Amnesty International slammed the charges against the accused as "absurd" and "an egregious attempt to silence some of Turkey's most prominent civil society figures."

"The Gezi trial exemplifies Turkey's appalling record of bogus prosecutions and detention of people the government sees as its critics and enemies," said Hugh Williamson, Human Rights Watch.

The trial is expected to conclude on Tuesday, only its second day.

Charting Turkey's slide towards authoritarianism July 2007: Abdullah Gul becomes Turkey's first Islamist president After years of free market reforms, Turkey's transition slowly begins to reverse. Islamist Abdullah Gul's candidacy as president in 2007 marks a clear shift away from secularist policies, and strains relations between the ruling AKP and the military. However, with broad support from both conservative Muslims and liberals, the AKP wins the parliamentary elections and Gul is elected president.

Charting Turkey's slide towards authoritarianism September 2010: Constitutional reforms take hold Then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan tables a constitutional reform increasing parliamentary control of the judiciary and army, effectively allowing the government to pick judges and senior military officials. The amendment, which is combined with measures also aimed at protecting child rights and the strengthening of the right to appeal, passed by a wide margin in a public referendum.

Charting Turkey's slide towards authoritarianism May 2013: Dissent erupts in Gezi Park Pent-up anger directed by young people at Erdogan, Gul and the Islamist-rooted AKP hits a boiling point in May 2013. The violent police breakup of a small sit-in aimed at protecting Istanbul's Gezi Park spurs one of the fiercest anti-government protests in years. Eleven people are killed and more than 8,000 injured, before the demonstrations eventually peter out a month later.

Charting Turkey's slide towards authoritarianism July 2015: Turkey relaunches crackdown against Kurds A fragile ceasefire deal between the Turkish government and the Kurdish rebel PKK group breaks under the weight of tensions aggravated by the war in Syria. Military forces resume operations in the mostly Kurdish southeast of Turkey. In early 2016, the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK) — a breakaway PKK faction — claim responsibility for two bombings in Ankara, each killing 38 people.

Charting Turkey's slide towards authoritarianism July 2016: Military coup attempt falls short A military coup attempt against the government shakes Turkey to its core and briefly turns the country into a war zone. Some 260 civilians die in overnight clashes with the army across five major cities. Erdogan, however, rallies supporters and the following morning rebel soldiers are ambushed by thousands of civilians on the Bosporus Bridge. The troops eventually drop their guns and surrender.

Charting Turkey's slide towards authoritarianism July 2016: President Erdogan enacts a state of emergency In the aftermath of the failed coup, Erdogan announces a state of emergency, leading to arrests of tens of thousands of suspected coup sympathizers and political opponents. Among those detained are military and judiciary officials and elected representatives from the pro-Kurdish HDP party. The purge is later expanded to include civil servants, university officials and teachers.

Charting Turkey's slide towards authoritarianism 2016: Crackdown on the press As part of Erdogan's crackdown against supposed "terrorist sympathizers," Turkey becomes one of the world's leading jailers of journalists, according to Reporters Without Borders. The government shuts down around 110 media outlets in the year following the coup and imprisons more than 100 journalists, including German-Turkish correspondent Deniz Yücel.

Charting Turkey's slide towards authoritarianism March 2017: AKP officials try to stoke support in Western Europe With a referendum on expanding Erdogan's presidential powers set for April 2016, AKP officials look to galvanize support among Turks living in Europe, particularly in Germany and the Netherlands. However, the Netherlands forbids Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu from landing in the country, while Germany opts to cancel two rallies. Erdogan accuses both countries of Nazi-style repression.

Charting Turkey's slide towards authoritarianism April 2017: Erdogan clinches referendum vote Erdogan narrowly wins the referendum vote expanding his power. As a result, Turkey's parliamentary system is abolished in favor of a strong executive presidency. Erdogan is also allowed to remain in power potentially until 2029. However, international election monitors claim that opposition voices were muzzled and that media coverage was dominated by figures from the "yes" campaign.

Charting Turkey's slide towards authoritarianism June 2018: Election wins secure Erdogan's power Erdogan secures a new five-year term and sweeping new executive powers after winning landmark elections on June 24. His AKP and their nationalist allies also win a majority in parliament. International observers criticize the vote, saying media coverage and emergency measures gave Erdogan and the AKP an "undue advantage" in the vote. Author: David Martin



kw/msh (AP, AFP, dpa)

Every evening, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.