Deniz Tekin
A High Criminal Court in Diyarbakır, a major city in southeastern Turkey with a large Kurdish population, has ruled to continue a travel ban on 19 journalists accused of membership in a terrorist organization. The decision came during the sixth hearing of a trial that has drawn international attention and concern from press freedom groups.
The journalists are being prosecuted for allegedly working with or producing content for TV channels broadcasting abroad that Turkish authorities claim are linked to outlawed groups. They are accused of reporting news, and producing discussion and cultural programs for these channels. The case originally included 20 defendants, but following the merger of writer Mehmet Şahin’s case with another file at the Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court, the number of defendants was reduced to 19.
Journalists Ömer Çelik and Elif Zilan Öngör were present at the hearing along with their lawyers. Hazal Sürmeli, the attorney for journalist Aziz Oruç — represented by the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA) — joined the session remotely via Turkey’s judiciary video conference system (SEGBİS) from Istanbul. Observers included representatives from the Amsterdam Law Clinic, the Clooney Foundation for Justice, and Selman Çiçek, co-chair of the Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFG).
During the hearing, attorney Hazal Sürmeli requested additional time to prepare defense statements following the merger of the two case files. Attorney Resul Temur emphasized that the defendants are professional journalists and called for the travel bans against them to be lifted. He also demanded clarification on the status of digital devices seized during the investigation.
Two witnesses were also heard. Soydan Kayaer said he did not recall his earlier statements about Stêrk TV and claimed to have no knowledge about whether the channel supported any organization. Another witness, Mustafa Biçer, alleged that Stêrk TV was affiliated with a terrorist group.
In response to these testimonies, journalists Ömer Çelik and Elif Zilan Öngör, along with their lawyers, rejected the allegations and disputed the accuracy of the witnesses' claims.
The prosecutor requested that missing documents in the case file be completed. The court granted Aziz Oruç and his lawyer time until the next hearing to prepare their defense statement, and ordered necessary actions to be taken regarding the witness testimonies. However, it rejected requests to lift the travel bans and to return the confiscated digital materials.
The next hearing is scheduled for Sept. 18.
