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- Journalists and activists appeared before courts across Turkey this week in a series of cases related to freedom of expression and press freedom, while authorities also imposed new restrictions on access to online platforms.A court lifted a travel ban imposed on journalist Timur Soykan, while proceedings involving journalists Abdurrahman Gök and Mehmet Şahin were postponed.
- In a separate case, a young participant in a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Istanbul was sentenced to 11 months and 20 days in prison on a charge of “insulting the president,” a criminal offense under Turkish law that has frequently been used against politicians, activists, journalists and ordinary citizens.Meanwhile, in a trial stemming from protests at the TRT World Forum, a conference organized by Turkey’s state-backed international broadcaster, the prosecutor requested the acquittal of all defendants.
- Digital access restrictions also remained in focus this week. Authorities reimposed an access ban on Hornet, a social networking application widely used by LGBTQ+ individuals, and blocked access to Change.org, the online petition and campaign platform.The developments come amid ongoing scrutiny by domestic and international rights groups over freedom of expression, media freedom and internet censorship in Turkey.
Journalists and activists continued to appear before courts in Turkey during the week of June 15 in cases monitored for their implications for freedom of expression. Trials involving journalists Abdurrahman Gök and Mehmet Şahin were heard in Diyarbakır, the largest city in predominantly Kurdish southeastern Turkey, while proceedings involving journalist Timur Soykan and activists who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations continued in Istanbul. A total of 13 people were tried in five hearings during the week.
The 11th hearing in the case against journalist Abdurrahman Gök, who is charged with “membership in a terrorist organization,” was held before the Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court. The court decided to wait for the outcome of a related file pending before the Court of Cassation and postponed the trial until Sept. 22, 2026.
The case had previously been postponed due to missing documents. As a result of the latest ruling, Gök’s trial was once again delayed.
The seventh hearing in the case against journalist Mehmet Şahin, who is charged with “membership in a terrorist organization,” ended with the court postponing proceedings until Sept. 8, 2026, to allow time for the preparation of defense statements on the merits of the case.
In Istanbul, the second hearing in the trial of journalist Timur Soykan was held before the Istanbul 32nd Criminal Court of First Instance. Soykan is charged with “publicly disseminating misleading information” and “publicly inciting the commission of a crime” over social media posts related to operations targeting municipalities run by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP). The court lifted a travel ban that had prevented him from leaving the country and adjourned the hearing until July 10, 2026, to allow the defense time to prepare responses to the prosecutor’s opinion on the merits.
In a separate case involving nine activists who protested during a speech by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the TRT World Forum, a prosecutor requested the acquittal of all defendants. The activists are being tried over a demonstration calling for an end to trade with Israel.
Because the presiding judge was on medical leave, the hearing was conducted through a review of the case file rather than an in-person session. The court postponed the case until Nov. 17, 2026, for the defendants’ defense statements to be heard.The TRT World Forum case stems from protests during an event organized by Turkey’s state-backed international broadcaster, where activists interrupted Erdoğan’s speech to demand a halt to commercial relations with Israel amid the war in Gaza.
A court in Istanbul sentenced a young activist who took part in a pro-Palestinian demonstration organized by the group “Thousand Youth for Palestine” to 11 months and 20 days in prison on a charge of “insulting the president.”
The ruling was issued in the case against activist Y.K., who was prosecuted over the demonstration. The court handed down the prison sentence and ordered the suspension of the announcement of the verdict, a legal mechanism under Turkish law that allows a conviction to be set aside if the defendant does not commit another offense during a specified probation period.
The charge of insulting the president refers to alleged insults directed at President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and is a criminal offense under Turkish law. The provision has been widely criticized by rights groups and free-expression advocates, who say it has been used to prosecute journalists, activists, politicians and ordinary citizens.
The demonstration was organized by “Thousand Youth for Palestine,” a youth-led solidarity group supporting the Palestinian cause.
