Eight journalists who stood trial for covering protests in Istanbul following the brief detention of opposition mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu were acquitted by a local court on charges of attending an unlawful demonstration. On the day of the hearing, Istanbul Courthouse was partially closed to the public, including journalists and civil society representatives.
MLSA - The second hearing of the trial was held at the Istanbul 62nd Criminal Court of First Instance, involving AFP photojournalist Yasin Akgül, Now Haber reporter Ali Onur Tosun, freelance photojournalist Bülent Kılıç, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality photojournalist Kurtuluş Arı, Bakırköy Municipality photojournalist Gökhan Kam, and journalists Zeynep Kuray, Hayri Tunç and Emre Orman.
They were charged with violating Law No. 2911 on Public Assemblies and Demonstrations, which regulates participation in protests.
In its final opinion, the prosecution stated that the journalists had not committed the alleged offense of “participating in an unlawful assembly or demonstration.” The prosecutor emphasized that the right to protest is guaranteed by both the Turkish Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights and concluded that the journalists' presence at the protest did not constitute a crime. The prosecution requested their acquittal.
Defense attorneys supported the prosecution’s view. Following a short recess, the court ruled to acquit all defendants on the grounds that the alleged offense was not proven.
Journalists detained, later released
The journalists had been detained on March 25 during early morning raids on their homes and held in custody for two days before being released. In its indictment, the prosecution accused them of “attending an unlawful assembly without weapons and refusing to disperse.”
Court access restricted
On the day of the hearing, Istanbul Courthouse restricted public access based on verbal orders from Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek. Citing another high-profile trial, the “Urban Consensus” case, the courthouse only admitted journalists with official turquoise press cards. Members of the public, civil society representatives, and parliamentary aides were blocked from entering.
Among those denied access was Erol Önderoğlu, Turkey representative for Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and media monitor for bianet. Criticizing the restriction, Önderoğlu said:
“Today, like always, we came to Istanbul Courthouse to follow the trials, but journalists without turquoise press cards and representatives of rights organizations were not allowed inside. This arbitrary practice clearly violates not only the principle of open trials but also the public's right to access news.”
Several other journalists and observers—including bianet’s Ayşegül Başar, İlke TV’s Eylül Deniz, reporters Fatoş Erdoğan and Rabia Çetin, Amnesty International’s Milena Büyüm, and MLSA’s Semra Pelek—were also prevented from entering the courthouse.
