Journalist Mehmet Üçar, who had been in pretrial detention for 225 days as part of an investigation based in the central Turkish city of Eskişehir, was released during his first court hearing on judicial control with an international travel ban. The next hearing is scheduled for Nov. 7.
Üçar was arrested on Nov. 29, 2024, in Eskişehir on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” and faced up to 15 years in prison. Prosecutors cited his contributions to the Europe-based Yeni Özgür Politika newspaper and PolitikArtmagazine as the basis for the charges. The first hearing was held at the 2nd High Criminal Court in the southeastern city of Batman, following a jurisdiction transfer from Eskişehir.
Üçar attended the hearing via video link from Eskişehir Type H Prison, while his lawyers were physically present in the courtroom. The hearing was also attended by members of the Dicle Fırat Journalists’ Association (DFG), fellow journalists, and Üçar’s family.
In his defense statement, Üçar said he was a freelance journalist and rejected the accusations. He clarified that although the social media account mentioned in the indictment was not his, the interviews shared on it were indeed his work. He also criticized the testimony of a key witness, Büşra Şahin, as contradictory, and said they had been in a relationship for eight years.
Üçar explained that he had used the pseudonym “Porge” for 15 years in his artistic and writing career, insisting it was not a “code name” but a pen name known by everyone in his professional circle. He argued that the investigation was biased and that exculpatory evidence had not been collected.
Responding to allegations about international money transfers, Üçar said these were payments for his writing and reporting, not related to any organizational activity. Witness Büşra Şahin also testified via video, describing Üçar as her former boyfriend, confirming that he wrote articles for the newspaper and was known in social circles under the name “Pergobol.”
Prosecutors requested the continuation of Üçar’s detention and further investigation into missing elements of the case file. Üçar, however, emphasized the length of his detention, stating: “I am a journalist. I was tortured during detention, handcuffed, and paraded in public because of my reporting on social issues. My journalism has been criminalized.”
His lawyer, Şirin Şen, argued that the evidence in the case did not constitute membership in a terrorist organization and that her client had been held in prison solely for his work as a journalist receiving royalties. She requested his release.
The court ordered Üçar’s release under judicial control with a ban on leaving the country, the collection of further witness testimony, and the postponement of the next hearing to Nov. 7.
Background
The case is part of a broader investigation led by prosecutors in Eskişehir targeting journalists and cultural workers contributing to European-based Kurdish media outlets. On Nov. 26, 2024, police raided the homes of several individuals alleged to have produced news stories, articles, or photographs for Yeni Özgür Politika and PolitikArt.
Among those detained were journalists Bilal Seçkin, Erdoğan Alayumat, Suzan Demir, Havin Derya, Serap Güneş, Tuğçe Yılmaz, Bilge Aksu, Ahmet Sünbül, and Mehmet Üçar, as well as Roza Metina, head of the MKG (Mesopotamia Culture Group), filmmaker Ardin Diren, cartoonist Doğan Güzel, writer Ömer Barasi, poet Hicri İzgören, Pirtûkakurdî Coordinator Baver Yoldaş, academic Abdurrahman Aydın, photographer Emrah Kelekçiler, and witnesses Büşra Şahin and Berfin Atlı.
Of the detainees, only Hamza Kaan and Mehmet Üçar were formally arrested; the rest were released under judicial control. The Eskişehir 2nd High Criminal Court later declared itself unauthorized to hear the case and transferred it to Batman. The charges against Üçar included news stories he authored, royalties he received, social media activity, phone calls, witness testimony, and literature found in his home.
