Eylem Sonbahar
Journalist Eylem Babayiğit, who was arrested in January on charges of "membership in a terrorist organization," has been sentenced to 1 year, 6 months, and 22 days in prison for "spreading terrorist propaganda." The court also ruled for her release.
Babayiğit was detained on Jan. 22 as part of an Istanbul-based investigation and formally arrested on Jan. 24. Her trial began at the Istanbul 22nd High Criminal Court, where she faced charges of "membership in a terrorist organization."
She was brought to the courtroom from Bakırköy Women's Closed Prison under gendarmerie escort. Observers at the hearing included Barış Altıntaş, co-director of the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), former HDP lawmaker Züleyha Gülüm, and representatives from the Migration Monitoring Association (GÖÇİZDER) and the Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFG).
‘The public’s right to information was also violated’
In her defense statement, Babayiğit rejected the accusations, saying, "I am a journalist and identify as a member of the free press. Certain excerpts from my programs are being presented as evidence against me, which I do not accept. For the past two months, I have been unable to practice journalism, and I want to highlight that the public's right to access news has also been violated."
Her lawyer, Nagehan Avçil, argued that the indictment lacked legal grounds, stating, "When we learned there was an investigation against my client, we filed a petition, informing the prosecutor’s office that she was ready to testify. Despite this, a detention order was issued, and she was held in custody for three days. Looking at the evidence, even the mere use of the word ‘Kurdistan’ in news content was interpreted as proof of organizational membership. We request her acquittal and release."
Prosecutor demanded sentence for propaganda
After a break in proceedings, the prosecutor presented the final opinion, stating that Babayiğit had worked as a presenter on Medya Haber TV, hosted various programs on different topics, and "used the power of the media in an illegal manner to spread the goals and objectives of the organization." The prosecutor also claimed that Babayiğit made social media posts that "legitimized and justified the organization." Based on this, the prosecutor called for her conviction on charges of "spreading terrorist propaganda" but recommended her release.
In response, Babayiğit denied the allegations, saying, "I chose my own news topics and guests. I reject being criminalized in this way for my journalism."
Her lawyer, Avçil, referred to previous rulings by Turkey’s Constitutional Court on freedom of expression, arguing, "If a conviction is issued in this case today, it means that no one has freedom of expression or press freedom. A verdict of acquittal would protect these fundamental rights."
Court rules for sentence but suspends ruling
The court sentenced Babayiğit to 1 year, 6 months, and 22 days in prison for "spreading terrorist propaganda" but ruled to defer the announcement of the verdict. She was also released following the hearing.
Babayiğit was among a group of journalists, including Necla Demir, Rahime Karvar, Ahmet Güneş, Welat Ekin, Vedat Örüç, and Reyhan Hacıoğlu, who were arrested on Jan. 20 as part of the same investigation.
