- In the indictment prepared against journalist Elif Bayburt, her attendance at a hearing before Istanbul’s 22nd High Criminal Court was cited as evidence of membership in a terrorist organization. The indictment also cited Bayburt leaving the Kadıköy district office of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) with a group and attending a commemoration as part of the accusations against her.
- Bayburt, who has been jailed pending trial for seven months, is scheduled to make her first court appearance on Sept. 29 before Istanbul’s 24th High Criminal Court.
MLSA — An indictment accusing journalist Elif Bayburt of membership in the Marxist-Leninist Communist Party (MLKP) cites not only her journalistic activities but also events and demonstrations she attended as evidence against her.
The indictment against Bayburt was prepared on June 8, 2026, after she was detained and jailed pending trial in an operation launched by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office on Feb. 3, 2026. The operation targeted the Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP), the Socialist Women’s Assembly (SKM), the Federation of Socialist Youth Associations (SGDF), the Etkin News Agency (ETHA), the Limter-İş union affiliated with the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DİSK), Polen Ecology and the Science, Education, Aesthetics, Culture and Art Research Foundation (BEKSAV).
Attending court hearing cited in accusations
The indictment said Bayburt attended a hearing before Istanbul’s 22nd High Criminal Court on July 17, 2025. It alleged that she attended the hearing “in line with calls from the organization” and that she “acted together with individuals who had been subject to legal proceedings over terrorism-related offenses.”
Leaving DEM Party office also cited as evidence
The indictment said Bayburt left a building bearing the sign of the Kadıköy district office of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) with a group on Aug. 10, 2025.
It further alleged that she then attended a commemoration held for Leyla Abay.
‘Taking photos at protest’ also cited as evidence
The indictment also cited Bayburt’s attendance at an Aug. 27, 2025, protest at the Human Rights Association (İHD) under the banner “Accept the Demands of Prisoners Protesting Against Well-Type Prisons” as part of the accusations against her.
It further alleged that Bayburt attended a commemoration organized by the Suruç Families Initiative on July 20, 2025, where she moved together with the group and recorded video footage. At another Suruç commemoration on Aug. 20, the indictment said she took photographs with a camera and followed the event until the group dispersed.
Journalistic work at ETHA cited in accusations
The indictment described Bayburt’s work at the Etkin News Agency (ETHA) as “carrying out activities.” News reports published on ETHA’s website and posts shared on the agency’s social media accounts were also cited as grounds for the accusations against her.
Prosecutors argued that, taken together, these activities showed that Bayburt had established an “organic link” with the MLKP and sought her conviction on a charge of “membership in an armed terrorist organization.”
Bayburt, who has been jailed pending trial for about seven months, is scheduled to make her first court appearance at 9:20 a.m. on Sept. 29 before Istanbul’s 24th High Criminal Court.
