Journalism and free speech trials: Week of July 6

Archive 06 July 2020

This week several journalism and freedom of expression trials will resume at courts. Below is a list of this week’s hearings:

Trial where Evrensel daily’s former Managing Editor Cem Şimşek faces “insulting the president” charges for a news story on German cartoonists who drew Erdoğan will will resume at Bakırköy 27th Criminal Court of First Instance.

Second hearing of the trial where Mesopotamia Agency (MA) reporter Ruken Demir faces “membership in a terrorist organization” charges based on phone conversations with her news sources will be held at İzmir 19th High Criminal Court this week. Ruken Demir was arrested on November 26, 2019 and was released pending trial during the first hearing.
First hearing of the trial where journalist Oktay Candemir face “insulting the President” charges for a tweet he had posted on September 5, 2019 will be held at Van 3rd Criminal Court of First Instance. Candemir’s concerned tweet criticized Erdoğan’s policy on appointing trustees to local Kurdish municipalities instead of elected mayors.
Street artist with the pseudonym İzinsiz will appear before İstanbul 20th Criminal Court of First Instance for their mural interventions made to the panels of Devrim Erbil paintings that were used to enclose the Kabataş port construction site.

Trial where Cumhuriyet daily’s former Editor-in-Chief Can Dündar faces “securing information that, due to its nature, must be kept confidential for reasons relating to the security or domestic or foreign political interests of the state for the purposes of espionage” and “aiding and abetting a terrorist organization” charges for publishing the news report on National Intelligence Organization’s (MİT) 18-wheeler trucks carrying weapons across the border will resume at İstanbul 14th High Criminal Court.
The trial where complainant Justice and Development Party (AKP) Bursa MP Efkan Ala accuses former aktifhaber.com Editor-in-Chief Yetkin Yıldız of “slander” and “libel” will resume before the Bakırköy 31st Criminal Court of First Instance. Evidence against Yıldız consist of news reports on tweets that are posted from the anonymous twitter account called Fuat Avni.

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