A Turkish prosecutor on Wednesday sought life in prison for 16 suspects including philanthropist and businessman Osman Kavala charged with attempting to overthrow the government, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
Kavala, who has been held in custody for more than a year without being formally charged, is accused of backing 2013 anti-government protests in Istanbul and the failed 2016 coup.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Kavala of "financing the terrorists" during the anti-government protests that threw up one of the biggest challenges to his rule. Erdogan was prime minister at the time.
Two of the suspects are in detention and six remain at large, reported Anadolu. Among those still at large are Turkish actor and government critic Mehmet Ali Alabora and dissident journalist Can Dundar, it said. Dundar fled to Germany after being convicted in 2016 over an article published in the opposition Cumhuriyet daily alleging that Ankara had supplied weapons to Islamist groups in Syria.
Alabora is accused of having played a role in the anti-government protests through a theatre play dubbed "Mi Minor" featuring a revolt against the ruler of a fictional country. He is currently abroad.
All the suspects are facing the charge of "attempting to overthrow the government". Some are also accused of "damaging public property" and "damaging worshipping houses and cemeteries," Anadolu said.
The Gezi protests were one of the largest wave of movements in modern Turkish history and the government's sometimes heavy-handed response drew criticism from human rights advocates and Turkey's Western allies.