ISTANBUL. – An Istanbul court ruled against six of the people who had held banners that insulted Armenians during an anti-Armenian demonstration, which was held in Istanbul’s Taksim Square on February 26 and under the pretense of commemorating the Khojaly incidents. 

Ten defendants attended the court session and, in their final statement, they pleaded not guilty once again and demanded an acquittal, CNN Turk reports. 

But the court found six of the defendants guilty of “inducing people to hatred and enmity,” and sentenced each of them to five years in prison. The ruling, however, was commuted to a 3,000-lira (approx. $1,600) fine for each.      

The other four defendants were acquitted due to lack of evidence.