Deniz Tekin
The third hearing in the retrial of journalist and Xwebûn newspaper columnist Mehmet Şahin on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” was held at the Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court on June 20. Şahin, who is being prosecuted over his journalistic and union-related activities, did not attend the hearing, but his lawyer Resul Temur was present.
During the hearing, the prosecutor stated that the office did not request an expanded investigation and asked for the case file to be sent in order to prepare the final opinion on the merits of the case. Temur, however, argued that several deficiencies in the file still needed to be addressed.
The court ruled that given the current stage of the proceedings and to prevent further delay, it would no longer hear testimony from the secret witness identified by the pseudonym “Ulaş.” It ordered the case file to be forwarded to the prosecutor's office for the preparation of the final opinion. The next hearing was scheduled for Sept. 23.
Background
Mehmet Şahin has been broadcasting in the Zazaki language on various television channels since 2009. In 2018, prosecutors indicted him on charges of “establishing and leading a terrorist organization.” The indictment cited his participation in events organized by the Kurdish Language and Education Movement (TZP Kurdî), speeches made in Kurdish at Democratic Society Congress (DTK) meetings, appearances on television programs, and statements from secret witnesses as evidence.
On Feb. 10, 2022, the Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court sentenced Şahin to 6 years and 3 months in prison for “membership in a terrorist organization.” However, an appellate court overturned the conviction, citing a possible factual and legal connection with another case in which Şahin was being tried alongside 20 other journalists at the Diyarbakır 4th High Criminal Court.
Additionally, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office requested the consolidation of a separate investigation into Şahin with the current case. This included reports and programs he prepared for television outlets broadcasting abroad. The court agreed to merge the case files, and Şahin is now being retried as part of a broader case involving 20 journalists.
