Nalin Öztekin
Claims against a lawyer on trial for alleged "terrorist propaganda" linked to events during 2015 Newroz celebrations at Ankara University’s Faculty of Political Science were refuted by witness testimony during a hearing in Ankara.
The case concerns incidents in March 2015 at the university’s Cebeci campus, where students engaged in poster-hanging and banner-preparation activities ahead of Newroz, a traditional Kurdish spring festival. Clashes between opposing groups followed. A 2023 indictment deemed the slogans on the posters, such as "The party of hope, HDP, grows with the youth. Newroz Pîroz Be (Happy Newroz)," as criminal. Sixteen individuals, including two lawyers, are on trial at the Ankara 18th High Criminal Court for allegedly making "terrorist propaganda."
At the sixth hearing of the case, some attorneys and complainants were present, while the defendants did not attend. After identity verification, the session proceeded with witness testimony. Seher Yılmaz, the sister of the lawyer on trial, participated via the SEGBİS video conferencing system. She testified that her brother, who was a law student at the time, was not in Ankara during the events but was with her in Seydişehir, a district in Konya province. She said they had learned about the incidents at the university through television news reports.
Following the testimony, defense attorney Mert Ekinci highlighted the consistency between the defendant’s account and the witness testimony, arguing that this should be taken into serious consideration by the court. Ekinci emphasized that his client, now practicing as a lawyer, was not even present at the scene of the events.
The court, responding to requests from both defense and complainant attorneys to address procedural gaps, adjourned the trial to April 22, 2025.
