Journalists, activists and citizens facing charges over press and expression-related offenses are scheduled to appear in court across several Turkish cities this week. MLSA Trial Monitoring Unit will follow the proceedings and share live updates in Turkish and English on its Twitter (X) account.
March 25, 2025 – Tuesday
At 11:30 a.m., the Istanbul Anadolu 76th Criminal Court of First Instance will hear the trial of journalist Vedat Örüç—represented by MLSA and currently in pretrial detention for a separate case—along with journalists Taylan Özgür Öztaş, Tunahan Turhan and 35 other defendants. They are charged with violating the Law No. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations for covering a protest in Istanbul’s Kadıköy district on August 19, 2019, against the Turkish government’s appointment of trustees to replace elected mayors in the southeastern metropolitan municipalities of Diyarbakır, Mardin and Van.
At 11:40 a.m., Bakırköy 13th Criminal Court of First Instance will hold a hearing in the trial of journalists Tunca Öğreten and Murat Baykara. They face charges of “promoting drug use” and “failing to report a crime” due to their documentary titled Met çıkmazı (“Dead End of the Met”).
March 27, 2025 – Thursday
At 10:00 a.m., Tatvan 1st Criminal Court of First Instance will hear a case against journalist Sinan Aygül, who is charged with “insult” following a complaint filed by the bodyguards of Tatvan Mayor Mehmet Emin Geylani. Aygül’s brother, Ahmet Aygül, is also a defendant in the same case, facing charges of “insult” and “threat.”
At 11:03 a.m., the Iğdır 2nd High Criminal Court will hold a hearing in the criminal case against journalist Berzan Güneş, who is represented by MLSA.
At 11:15 a.m., Gölbaşı 3rd Civil Court of First Instance will host the sixth hearing in the non-pecuniary damages lawsuit filed by former AKP lawmaker Zehra Taşkesenoğlu against journalist Faruk Arhan, represented by MLSA.
Also at 10:00 a.m., a separate compensation case against journalist Barış Pehlivan is scheduled. The case stems from a news article he wrote concerning deputy ministers at Turkey’s Ministry of National Defense.
March 28, 2025 – Friday
At 10:30 a.m., the second hearing in the case against journalist Cesim İlhan—represented by MLSA—will take place at Çerkezköy 8th Criminal Court of First Instance. İlhan is charged with “inciting hatred and hostility” over social media posts concerning police intervention in protests against government-appointed trustees in the predominantly Kurdish cities of Van and Batman.
