Journalism and freedom of expression trials: Week of June 19

June 20th, Tuesday

• The first hearing of the compensation lawsuit filed by the Ministry of National Defense against former Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş will be held at Ankara 30th Civil Court of First Instance at 09.40 am.
• The first hearing of the retrial of journalist Hakkı Boltan on charges of "insulting the president" will be held at Diyarbakır 12th Criminal Court of First Instance at 10:00 am.
• The third hearing of the trial in which Ramazan Yurttapan, Managing Editor of Demokratik Modernite Magazine, and Haydar Ergül, editor of the magazine, face “insulting the president” charge will be held at Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance at 10.25 am.
• The fifth hearing of the retrial of journalist Ertuğrul Mavioğlu and director Çayan Demirel on charges of "making propaganda for an armed terrorist organization" will be held at Batman 2nd Assize Court at 12.20 pm.
• The 28th hearing of the "KCK Press Case", which has been going on for nearly 10 years and in which 46 journalists, including journalist Dilek Demiral, whose defense is undertaken by MLSA, are on trial on terrorism charges, will be held at Istanbul 3rd High Criminal Court at 11.25 am.
• The sixth hearing of the trial in which İleri Haber’s former editor-in-chief Doğan Ergün and İleri Haber’s current editor-in-chief İzel Sezer face “libel”, “insult” and “unlawful disclosure of data obtained by recording non-public conversations between people via the press” charges will be held in the İstanbul 33rd Criminal Court of First Instance, at 11.50. 
• The second hearing of the trial in which 15 women who attended a demonstration called by the Ankara Campaigning Group for the Istanbul Convention in order to protest the murder of Azra Gülendam Haytaoğlu and Emine Gökkız by men, face “defying the Law no. 2911 on Demonstrations and Assemblies”, “prevention of public duty” and “intentional injury” charges will be held in the Ankara 66th Criminal Court of First Instance, at 13.30.

June 21st, Wednesday

• The ninth hearing of the suit for damages brought against Evrensel daily columnist and academic Ceren Sözeri by the CEO of Turkuvaz Media Group Serhat Albayrak will be held in the İstanbul 2nd Commercial Court of First Instance, at 09.50.
• The first hearing of the case against 100 people, including journalist Zilan Azad, who is also defended by MLSA, on charges of "violating Law No. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations" will be held at Istanbul Anatolian 17th Criminal Court of First Instance at 10.00 am.

June 22nd, Thursday

• • The 14th hearing of the trial in which 28 people, including Jiyan Haber’s proprietor journalist İdris Yayla face “defying the Law no. 2911 on Assemblies and Demonstrations” charge will be held in the Batman 1st Criminal Court of First Instance, at 09.30. 
  • The second hearing of the trial of journalists Barış Pehlivan and 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 at 09.30 am.
  • The first hearing of the lawsuit filed against 42 people detained during the police intervention against the 2022 Ankara Pride March will be held at Ankara 52nd Criminal Court of First Instance at 10.00 am.
  • The 10th hearing of the trial in which author Ahmet Altan faces “insult” charge will be held in the Anadolu 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance, at 09.40.

• The 16th hearing of the trial in which Vice News reporters Philip John Pendlebury and Jacob Philip John Gingell (Jake) Hanrahan along with their translator and fixer face “membership of a terrorist organization by willingly and knowingly aiding and abetting the organization”, “making propaganda for a terrorist organization”, and “opposing the Law on the Prevention of Financing of Terrorism” charges will be held in the Diyarbakır 8th High Criminal Court, at 09.45.

• The second hearing of the trial in which journalist Eylül Deniz Yaşar faces “making propaganda for a terrorist organization” charge will be held in the Ankara 4th High Criminal Court at 10.00.

• • The first hearing of the non-pecuniary damages lawsuit filed by Ali İhsan Arslan against Doğan Ergün, the former Editor-in-Chief of İleri Haber, and İzel Sezer, the current Editor-in-Chief who was the Managing Editor at the time, will be held at Ankara 20th Civil Court of First Instance at 10.20 am.
  • The second hearing of the lawsuit filed against 8 women who were detained during the "We Don't Want a Women's University" protest on charges of "violating the Law No. 2911 on Demonstrations and Marches" will be held at Ankara 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance at 10.20 am.
  • The fourth hearing of the trial in which the grant holder and the chief editor of Demokrat Haber Mehmet Göcekli faces “making propaganda for a terrorist organization” will be held in the İstanbul 27th High Criminal Court, at 11.00.

• The sixth hearing of the trial in which 15 people, including then-KESK Spokesperson Bedri Yamaç and the Peoples’ Democratic Party’s Van Provincial Co-Chair Ümit Dede who were taken into police custody during the October 10th Massacre Commemoration called by the Confederation of Public Employees' Trade Unions (KESK) in 2018 face “prevention of public duty” charge will be held in the Van 7th Criminal Court of First Instance, at 11.05.

• • The fourth hearing of the trial of journalists Barış Pehlivan and Suat Toktaş on charges of "insulting a public official" will be held at Ankara 39th Criminal Court of First Instance at 11.05 am.
  • The first hearing of the lawsuit filed against journalist Sedef Kabaş due to "insulting the president" will be held at Istanbul Anatolian 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance at 12.00 pm.
  • The third hearing of the trial in which 7 students with the Yurtsuzlar [Shelterless] Movement face “defying the Law no. 2911 on Demonstrations and Assemblies” and “prevention of public duty” charges will be held in the Ankara 37th Criminal Court of First Instance, at 14.10.

• The second hearing of the trial in which journalist Sezgin Kartal whom MLSA represents in the court, faces “membership in a terrorist organization” charge will be held in the Istanbul 22nd High Criminal Court, at 14.30.

June 23rd, Friday

• The fifth hearing of the trial in which a member of the Boğaziçi University LGBTİ+ Studies Club and a social media user face “openly degrading symbols of state sovereignty” charge will be held in the Istanbul 18th Criminal Court of First Instance, at 11.00.
• The second hearing of the lawsuit filed against Cihan Kolivar, President of the Bread Producers Union, on charges of "publicly insulting a section of the public based on social class differences (TCK 216/2)", "publicly insulting the Turkish nation (TCK 301/1)" and "insulting the president (TCK 299)" will be held at Istanbul 17th Criminal Court of First Instance at 14.00.