This week, the hearings of a number of freedom of expression trials will be held. Below is the list of these hearings:
Monday, September 11
- The trial of journalist and writer Ercan Aktaş, who is being defended by MLSA, will take place on Monday, September 11th, at 9:40 AM in Istanbul's 23rd Criminal Court. Aktaş is being accused of "making terrorist propaganda" due to his social media posts in 2021.
Tuesday, September 12
- The trial of poet and writer Gökhan Yavuzel, who is represented by MLSA, on charges of "insulting the president" will be held at Şanlıurfa 4th Criminal Court of First Instance on Tuesday, September 12th, at 09:40 AM. Yavuzel faces accusations stemming from posts on his Twitter account (now X Platform).
- The trial of journalist Sonya Bayık, who is accused of violating Law No. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations" for attending a press statement while covering news in Hasankeyf in 2019, will take place at Batman 1st Criminal Court of First Instance on Tuesday, September 12th, at 09:20 AM. The indictment refers to a decision by the Hasankeyf District Governorship on June 12, 2019, which banned all kinds of demonstrations, meetings, rallies, and similar actions within the district boundaries.
- The trial of Gülsüm Elvan and Sami Elvan, the parents of Berkin Elvan who was killed by the police during the Gezi Park protests, on charges of "insulting the president," will take place at Istanbul 43rd Criminal Court of First Instance on Tuesday, September 12th, at 10:15 AM. The indictment accuses Gülsüm and Sami Elvan of using certain expressions in the press statements made after the court hearings related to Berkin Elvan's killing, which took place on September 23, 2020, and January 29, 2021.
- The trial of Ferhat Tunç, who is accused of "insulting the president," will be held at Büyükçekmece 14th Criminal Court of First Instance on Tuesday, September 12th, at 11:25 AM. The charges against Tunç are based on posts he made on his X Platform (formerly Twitter) account in 2016.
- The trial of Kürşat Yılmaz, the owner of the Evrensel newspaper, and Görkem Kınacı, the Responsible Managing Editor, on charges of "slander" and "insult," following a complaint from Serhat Albayrak, the Vice Chairman of the Turkuvaz Media Group, will take place at Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance on Tuesday, September 12th, at 1:30 PM.
Wednesday, September 13
- The fourth hearing of the case to close down the We Will Stop Femicides Platform will take place at Istanbul 13th Civil Court of First Instance on Friday, September 13th, at 11:00 AM. The organization is accused of disrupting the concept of family under the pretense of protecting women's rights, which has led to the breakdown of families. The complaint is based on allegations that the association has engaged in activities that are against the law and morality. The request being made is to dissolve the association.
- The trial of journalist Rabia Çetin, will be held at Istanbul 23rd Heavy Penal Court on Wednesday, September 13th, at 09:00 AM. Çetin, represented by MLSA, is facing charges under the Anti-Terrorism Law for "targeting individuals involved in the fight against terrorism" and under the Turkish Penal Code for "publicly insulting a public official in connection with their duties." The charges were filed against him after he retweeted a post from the Deniz Poyraz Case's Twitter account.
September 14, Thursday
- Abdurrahman Gök, an editor at Mezopotamya Agency (MA), who was arrested during an operation in Diyarbakır on April 25th, will appear before a judge for the first time on Thursday, September 14th, at 11:30 AM at Diyarbakır 5th Criminal Court. He is facing allegations of "membership in a terrorist organization." The prosecutor alleges that Gök was actively involved in the organization's media activities and that he contributed to the organization through the publications and content he produced. Furthermore, the prosecutor argues that Gök's defense is merely an attempt to evade the charges and should not be given any credence.
- The first hearing of the case against Mehmet Şah Oruç, a reporter for Mezopotamya Agency (MA), who was detained during an operation based in Diyarbakır on April 25th, will take place on Thursday, September 14th, at 11:30 AM at Bitlis 2nd Criminal Court. Oruç is being tried on charges of "membership in a terrorist organization," with his news articles and social media posts cited as "evidence of the crime."
- The trial against 15 women and LGBTI+ activists who participated in a protest against femicide in Ankara in 2021 will be held at Ankara 66th Criminal Court of First Instance on Thursday, September 14th, at 10:30 AM. The three riot police officers who filed complaints against the women are accusing them of "violating Law No. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations," "resisting authorities in the performance of their duties," and "simple assault."
- The trial of Hüseyin Aykol, Zana Bilir Kaya, İnan Kızılkaya, former responsible editor of the closed Özgür Gündem newspaper, and politician Hatip Dicle, who are accused of "insulting the Turkish nation, the Republic of Turkey, the state's institutions, and organizations," will be held at Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance on Thursday, September 14th, at 10:35 AM. The indictment cites news articles published in the newspaper on various dates as evidence for the charges against Aykol, Kaya, Kızılkaya, and Dicle.
- The trial against Erdem Avşar, the Responsible Managing Editor of Yeniçağ newspaper, on charges of "slander and insult," will take place at Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance on Thursday, September 14th, at 2:00 PM. The case was initiated based on a complaint from Serhat Albayrak, the Vice Chairman of the Turkuvaz Media Group, regarding an article published in Yeniçağ newspaper titled "The secret within the tweets revealed: Sedat Peker disclosed the name behind Ali Fuat Taşkesenlioğlu."
15 September, Friday
- The trial stemming from a protest announcement by healthcare workers in Van will be held at Van 1st Criminal Court of First Instance on Friday, September 15th, at 1:30 PM. Eight individuals, including the Co-Chairs of the Health and Social Service Workers' Union (SES) Van Branch, Zeki Seven and Figen Çolakoğlu, as well as Dr. Hüseyin Yaviç, the former president of the Van-Hakkâri Medical Chamber, are being tried on charges of "violating Law No. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations."
- The trial against the seven-member Organization Committee responsible for organizing the Newroz celebration in Diyarbakır in 2021 on charges of "violating Law No. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations" will be held at Diyarbakır 5th Criminal Court of First Instance on Friday, September 15th, at 9:30 AM. The indictment against committee members Hanife Kardaş, İrfan Soner, Mehmet Bakır, Rıza Barut, Serhan Özdemir, Yusuf Acar, and Zelal Bilgin cites the banners, signs, posters used at the Newroz event, slogans chanted, and speeches made as "evidence of the crime."
