October 18 Monday
- The 36th hearing of the trial where since shuttered Taraf newspaper’s former administrators Ahmet Altan, Yasemin Çongar and Yıldıray Oğur, reporter Mehmet Baransu, and Aktüel reporter Tuncay Opçin face “establishing or managing a terrorist organization”, “procuring documents concerning the security of the state with other intentions than damaging, procuring or stealing or using said documents outside their intended purpose”, “securing classified information relating to the security of the state, Disclosing classified information relating to the security of the state”, “terrorist propaganda” and “disclosing information or documents that, due to their nature, must be kept confidential for reasons relating to the security, or domestic or foreign political interests of the State” charges will be held in two sessions at İstanbul 13rd High Criminal Court this week. The second session of the hearing will take place on October 19. In the 276 page indictment, the prosecutor requests imprisonment for Baransu up to 75 years.
October 20 Wednesday
- The fifth hearing of the trial where journalist Hayko Bağdat whom MLSA represents in court, faces “insulting the president” and “publicly inciting the public to hatred and hostility” charges will be held at İstanbul 50th Criminal Court of First Instance this week. Bağdat’s trial began when İstanbul 50th Criminal Court of First Instance accepted the indictment dated July 24, 2019 by the Prosecutor’s Office. The first indictment presents Bağdat’s article titled “My last article on Erdoğan” published at ozguruz.org on April 14, 2017 and four tweets as evidence against the journalist. Two other indictments against Bağdat were prepared later on June 15 and June 25, 2020. The cases opened after these indictments were accepted by the court and were later merged with the ongoing case at İstanbul 50th Criminal Court of First Instance. The June 25th indictment has added “publicly inciting the public to hatred and hostility” to the charges journalist Bağdat faces.
- The seventh hearing of the trial where journalist Vedat Örüç whom MLSA represents in court, faces “terrorist propaganda” charges will be held at Kocaeli 5th High Criminal Court this week. The indictment presents the tweets and retweets Örüç had shared on his personal account during “the Operation Peace Spring” and a picture and a book found in his apartment during a police raid as evidence against the journalist. The prosecution demands imprisonment for Örüç up to 5 years and claims that he committed the said crime via media and thus the punishment should be increased.
- The third hearing of the trial where eight people including journalists Ahmet Kanbal, Mehmet Şah Oruç, Jinnews reporter Rojda Aydın, Nurcan Yalçın and Halime Parlak face defying the Law on Assemblies and Demonstrations no. 2911” charges will be held at Mardin 1st Criminal Court of First Instance this week. The journalists were detained while following a protest on August 20, 2019 and which was held after a trustee was appointed to the Mardin Metropolitan Municipality.
October 21 Thursday
- The third hearing of the trial where Mesopotamia Agency (MA) reporters Adnan Bilen, Cemil Uğur and Zeynep Durgut, Jinnews reporter Şehriban Abi and freelance journalist Nazan Sala face “membership in a terrorist organization” charges will be held at Van 5th High Criminal Court this week. Bilen, Uğur, Abi and Sala were arrested on October 9, 2020 after their news report and were held in pre-trial detention for nearly six months before being released pending trial at the first hearing held on April 2, 2021. In their news report, journalists broke the story of how villagers in Van’s Çatak district were tortured by the security forces and that Osman Şiban and Servet Turgut were thrown off from a helicopter by soldiers. Journalist Sala, whom MLSA also represents in court, faces additional “terror propaganda” charges.
- The 14th hearing of the trial where journalist Rüstem Batum whom MLSA represents in court, faces “insulting the president” charges will be held at İstanbul 41st Criminal Court of First Instance this week. The indictment presents the statements Batum made during a TV appearance on journalist Ayşegül Doğan’s programme on İMC TV in September 2015.
- The fourth hearing of the trial where the exiled artist Ferhat Tunç faces “insulting a public official” charges will be held at Büyükçekmece 16th Criminal Court of First Instance this week. The indictment presents Tunç’s reply tweet to then prime minister Binali Yıldırım as evidence against the artist.
