This week, the hearings of a number of freedom of expression trials will be held. Below is the list of these hearings:
September 26, Tuesday
-
At 10:10 am, the Istanbul 36th Criminal Court of First Instance will hold the case against journalist Metin Cihan, who was accused by Berat Albayrak of mentioning emails allegedly belonging to Albayrak on his social media account regarding a sex toy order. Cihan is being tried for "publicly insulting a public official because of his duty."
-
The case against Reyhan Çapan, who was the Managing Editor of Özgür Gündem newspaper - which was closed down by a decree law - is scheduled to be heard at the Istanbul 2nd Assize Court at 10:00 am. The charges against Çapan include "propaganda" and "publishing materials of terrorist organizations." Specific articles, such as "See the Truth Now" and "Tuğluk: The State has been defeated," published in the August 29, 2012 issue of the newspaper, are being brought up in the case.
-
At 13:00, the Istanbul 58th Criminal Court of First Instance will hear the case against 35 women who participated in the Feminist Night March on March 8, 2020. They are accused of breaking Law No. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations, obstructing the execution of duty, and damaging public property.
-
The trial of lawyer Selçuk Kozağaçlı, who has been in prison for almost six years, will take place at Ankara 29th High Criminal Court at 2 pm. The charges against him are for allegedly "making propaganda for an illegal organization" due to his involvement in the production of the movie "Neighborhood," which highlights urban renewal and stars well-known actors.
-
The court case will be held at the Ankara 37th Criminal Court of First Instance at 2.15 pm regarding Sibel Hürtaş. She was beaten and detained by police while reporting a protest led by bar association presidents in front of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in July 2020. The protest was against the Multiple Bar Association System. Hürtaş is charged with "resisting the police officers who detained her."
September 27, Wednesday
-
The Istanbul 50th Criminal Court of First Instance will hear the case against journalist Hayko Bağdat, who is being defended by MLSA, for charges of "insulting the President" and "publicly inciting people to hatred and hostility" at 9:30 am. Bağdat's trial is related to his article titled "My last article about Erdoğan," published on the website ozguruz.org on April 14, 2017, and four posts he made on his Twitter account (now X platform).
-
The court case filed against 15 people who were detained in Şişli while trying to go to Taksim on May 1, Labor and Solidarity Day in 2022, will be heard at Istanbul 29th Criminal Court of First Instance at 10.30 am within the scope of Law No. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations. The defendants are accused of chanting slogans such as "Long live May Day," "Taksim cannot be banned, it is ours," "Gezi is our honor," "Everywhere Taksim, everywhere resistance" and wearing a sign reading "Long live May Day! Long live Taksim! There is a way out for socialism!"
-
The trial of feminist YouTuber Kazıklı Maria, who has been accused of "insulting the president" through posts on a social media account that she claims is not hers, will take place at the Ankara 11th Criminal Court of First Instance at 11:30 am. The charges are based on an open-source report prepared by the police.
-
The case filed against artist Ferhat Tunç due to "insulting" then Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım through his social media posts in 2016 will be held at Büyükçekmece 16th Criminal Court of First Instance at 3.15 pm
September 28, Thursday
-
At 9:40 am, the Istanbul 25th High Criminal Court will hear the case against ten individuals detained during the police intervention at the September 2 Festival held in 1 Mayıs Neighborhood in Ümraniye, Istanbul, in 2022. The charges against them include violating Law No. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations and making propaganda for a terrorist organization. The evidence presented in the indictment consists of the testimony of a police officer who filed a complaint and various slogans, pennants, and flags.
-
A hearing for journalist Can Dündar's case regarding the accusation of "printing and publishing the publications of a terrorist organization" for his involvement in the Editor-in-Chief on Watch campaign to support the now-closed Özgür Gündem newspaper will take place at Istanbul's 22nd Assize Court at 9:20 am.
-
The case filed against journalist Eren Tutel due to "insulting a public official" through the complaint of Turkish Wushu Federation (TWF) Deputy President Abdurrahman Akyüz and his daughter Elif Akyüz on the grounds of his news reports on the Turkish Wushu Federation (TWF), will be held at Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance at 09.40.
