This week, several journalists and media workers, including Deniz Yücel represented by MLSA, will appear before judges. Here is a list of this week’s journalism and free speech trials:
September 24, Monday
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Hearing of the shuttered Dicle News Agency (DİHA) correspondent Abdullah Kaya in which he is accused of ‘purposely aiding and abetting a terrorist organisation whilst not being a member’, will be held at Ağrı 2. High Criminal Court. His indictment presents some photos he took during a festival in Ağrı in 2014 as evidence for crime. Kaya was sentenced to 4 years 2 months imprisonment, on ‘membership in a terrorist organisation’ charges from a separate case.
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Hearing of Armenian journalist Hrant Dink’s murder case, will start at İstanbul 14. High Criminal Court. Hearing will last between 24-28 September. Trial has been going on for 11 years and Dink’s murder remains ‘unsolved’.
September 25, Tuesday
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Hearing of Evrensel newspaper editor Çağrı Sarı will be held at Bakırköy 2. Court of First Instance at 10:30 AM. Sarı is facing up to 6 years imprisonment on charges ‘insult’ and ‘defamation’, based on his news stories that covered the leak of the Paradise Papers.
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Hearing of Ferhat Tunç will be held at İstanbul 36. High Criminal Court at 11:00 AM. Tunç is facing terrorist propaganda charges.
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Hearing of Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA) client Deniz Yücel’s compensation suit will be held at 10:45 AM at İstanbul 17. High Criminal Court. Yücel, spent almost a year in prison after he got detained and arrested unlawfully, which was a violation of his right to freedom according to MLSA Coordinator Veysel Ok. Ok filed a lawsuit asking a total of ₺2.980.000 in compensation from Turkey.
September 26, Wednesday
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Hearing of Özlem Beyarslan, a 'peace academic' who is accused of 'terrorist propaganda' based on her participation in a campaign launched by Academics for Peace Initiative, will be held at İstanbul 14. High Criminal Court at 09:50 AM.
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First hearing of freelance photojournalist Sertaç Kayar will be held at Diyarbakır 9. High Criminal Court. He is accused of ‘targeting those who have participated in anti-terror operations’, based on a photo he took at March 8 Women’s Day demonstrations in Diyarbakır.
September 27, Thursday
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Hearing of Cumhuriyet İzmir correspondent Hakan Dirik, and BirGün newspaper reporter Erk Acarer will be held at İstanbul 2. Court of First Instance. The two are being accused of ‘defamation’ based on their news stories published in their own media outlets, covering Turkey’s alleged export of ‘sarin gas’, which is a chemical weapon allegedly used by radical Syrian opposition groups.
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Hearing of local journalists Murat Güreş, Metin Aybey and Furkan Gökşen will be held at Gaziantep 4. Court of First Instance at 09:30 AM. Journalists are accused of ‘violation of confidentiality of an investigation’ based on their alleged publishing a testimony of someone, who was in detention due to ‘FETÖ/PDY linkages’. Güreş and Gökşen were formerly in detention however they were released on bail on 15 August.
