This week, journalists, artists, and students will once again appear before the courts for various reasons. Hearings will be held for journalist Nurcan Yalçın in the southeastern city of Diyarbakır and for journalists Ayşenur Arslan, Zeynep Kuray, Erdoğan Alayumat, Diren Yurtsever, Ahmet Güneş, and Barış Terkoğlu in Istanbul. The trial of students prosecuted over the Boğaziçi University protests will also take place this week.
Monday, May 5
10:00 – The sixth hearing in the retrial of former Taraf newspaper executives Ahmet Altan, Yasemin Çongar, Yıldıray Oğur, and reporter Mehmet Baransu on charges of “misusing documents concerning state security for purposes other than intended,” “fraudulently obtaining” them, and “disclosing and obtaining confidential documents related to state security” will be held at Istanbul Anadolu 2nd High Criminal Court.
Tuesday, May 6
09:45 – The hearing in the trial of journalist Hakkı Boltan will be held at Diyarbakır 12th Criminal Court of First Instance.
09:30 – The hearing in the trial of journalist Sadık Topaloğlu will be held at Istanbul 25th High Criminal Court.
10:05 – The third hearing in the trial of journalists Esra Solin Dal, Mehmet Aslan, and Erdoğan Alayumat—represented by MLSA—on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization,” based on news reports published by Mezopotamya Agency, will be held at Istanbul 25th High Criminal Court.
10:25 – In the DİAYDER trial, defense attorney Bedirhan Sarsılmaz, who was detained and later arrested in an investigation launched by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, was released on February 20. The first hearing in his trial on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” will be held at Istanbul 25th High Criminal Court.
11:30 – The 26th hearing in the trial of former Zaman newspaper deputy editor-in-chief Mehmet Kamış and former arts and culture editor Ali Çolak on charges of “attempting to abolish or prevent the functioning of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey,” “attempting to abolish or prevent the functioning of the Government of the Republic of Turkey,” “attempting to overthrow the constitutional order,” and “membership in a terrorist organization” will be held at Istanbul 26th High Criminal Court.
11:40 – The second hearing in the trial of journalist Ayşenur Arslan, who is charged with “terrorist propaganda” over comments made in the October 2, 2023 broadcast of her Medya Mahallesi program on Halk TV regarding a bombing in front of the Interior Ministry, will be held at Istanbul 14th High Criminal Court.
11:45 – The hearing in the trial of journalist Nurcan Yalçın on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” and “violating the Law on the Prevention of Financing of Terrorism” will be held at Diyarbakır 9th High Criminal Court.
Wednesday, May 7
09:45 – The first hearing in the trial of Mezopotamya Agency Managing Editor Diren Yurtsever, charged with “revealing and publishing the identities of informants” based on a complaint from Sami Baran, an anonymous witness in the Kobane trial, over a news story titled “Confessors to be heard in Kobane trial” published by the agency, will be held at Istanbul 23rd High Criminal Court.
09:55 – The 21st hearing in the trial of artist Ferhat Tunç, who is charged with “openly inciting hatred and hostility among the public” over social media posts, will be held at Büyükçekmece 4th Criminal Court of First Instance.
Thursday, May 8
09:03 – The 12th hearing in the trial of journalist Barış Pehlivan and former Cumhuriyet managing editor Ozan Alper Yurtoğlu on charges of “insulting the president” and “insulting a public official” will be held at Istanbul 15th Criminal Court of First Instance.
09:33 – The third hearing in the trial of journalist Zeynep Kuray—represented by MLSA—on charges of “terrorist propaganda” over social media posts made between 2014 and 2023 will be held at Istanbul 26th High Criminal Court.
10:05 – The first hearing in the trial of journalist Ahmet Güneş, who was detained during home raids conducted as part of an Istanbul-based investigation on January 17 and later released on February 4, on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization,” will be held at Istanbul 25th High Criminal Court.
14:30 – The fifth hearing in the trial of journalist Barış Terkoğlu, charged alongside İYİ Party former deputy chair Ahmet Zeki Üçok with “repeatedly insulting a public official” over articles published in Cumhuriyet titled “How well-connected FETÖ members are being saved” and “Mr. Prosecutor, I’m coming—add this article too,” will be held at Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance.
Friday, May 9
10:00 – The 30th hearing in the trial of 23 people, including former Etkin News Agency (ETHA) editor İsminaz Temel, former reporter Havva Cuştan, lawyers from the Association of Lawyers for the Oppressed (EHB), and Özlem Gümüştaş, former co-chair of the Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP), on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” and “terrorist propaganda” will be held at Istanbul 27th High Criminal Court.
10:30 – The 14th hearing in the trial of seven Boğaziçi University students charged with “openly inciting hatred and hostility among the public” over a campus exhibit featuring an image of the Kaaba with a Şahmeran figure and an LGBT+ flag, shown during protests against the appointment of a government-appointed rector, will be held at Istanbul 21st Criminal Court of First Instance.
10:30 – The 18th hearing in the trial of journalist Ziya Çiçekçi on charges of “terrorist propaganda” over 13 social media posts from 2017 will be held at Istanbul 33rd High Criminal Court.
14:00 – The hearing in the trial of journalist Ozan Balık on charges of “publicly spreading misleading information” will be held at Antalya 26th Criminal Court of First Instance.
