The first week of the main trial concerning the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) has come to an end. The hearings started with tension and ended with tension. The court imposed restrictions on journalists who wanted to follow the hearings. Only about 25 to 30 journalists are able to follow the hearing held in Silivri, a district on Istanbul’s western outskirts where a large courthouse complex and prison are located.
Many journalists objected to the position inside the courtroom from which they were allowed to follow the hearing. On the final day, journalists were moved roughly 15 meters closer to the front. However, statements made by detained Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu to journalists during breaks in the hearing disturbed the panel of judges, and the court requested that journalists be sent back to the farthest point at the rear where they had initially been placed. When journalists objected to this, the court responded: “You are disrupting the order of the hearing.”
This week, journalist Fırat Fıstık, who has been following the hearings, appeared as a guest on the program Çetele with Onur Öncü, broadcast on the MLSA YouTube channel.
Fırat Fıstık, a journalist following the İBB trial, described the problems journalists experienced in the courtroom. Fıstık said:
“The place where we are positioned is the far-right corner at the back of the courtroom. Because there is a microphone, we can only hear what is being said. Other than that, we cannot see the defendants or the lawyers. It is also impossible to see the panel of judges. It’s not even possible to form an impression. On the first day, İmamoğlu wanted to take the floor, but his microphone was not turned on. He spoke for half an hour, but we heard nothing. We learned what he said by asking the lawyers.”
Fıstık also described the tension in the courtroom, saying:
“The presiding judge of the panel came in after the break and wanted to send us to the very back, claiming that we had disrupted the order of the hearing. We asked for the reason, but he did not give any response at all. Later, the panel instructed the gendarmerie to clear the section where the journalists were sitting.”
Emphasizing that journalism is under pressure, Fıstık said: “For years we have followed many trials in various courthouses. When we look over the years, practicing journalism has been constantly moving in a negative direction. In fact, this trend is becoming increasingly radical. We most recently saw this in the İBB trial.”
The full program can be watched on the MLSA TV YouTube channel.
