MLSA - Journalist Neşe İdil has been sentenced to 1 year and 3 months in prison for "making terrorist organization propaganda," based on her social media posts. The pronouncement of the verdict was deferred in the hearing heard on 20 Feburary.
The second hearing of the case, where İdil was tried for posts she made on social media since 2015, took place on February 20, 2024, at the Istanbul 22nd High Criminal Court. İdil was represented by MLSA's legal team, but she did not attend the hearing. Fatih Aydın, a lawyer from the MLSA Legal Unit, was present. The prosecutor reiterated his previous opinion from the first hearing on November 16, 2023, seeking İdil's conviction for the alleged crime.
Beginning his defense with a procedural objection, lawyer Aydın stated, "We all know that complaints are only made to the Public Prosecutor's Office and law enforcement. This case started with a CIMER (Presidential Communication Center) notification document and turned into an investigation."
'The posts have news value'
Aydın noted that one of the posts in question was a share of an image celebrating the liberation of Kobanê from ISIS by YPJ (Women's Protection Units) fighters, arguing that this is not a crime according to Supreme Court of Appeals decisions. Emphasizing the duty of journalists to convey news to the public, Aydın continued, "At the time this tweet was posted, the group known as ISIS was forced to flee Kobanê, a city it had occupied for three or four years. My client, a journalist, shared this news-worthy event. That this information has news value is beyond doubt. Any potential conviction would disregard all jurisprudence of the ECHR (European Court of Human Rights) and the Constitutional Court regarding freedom of expression and the press. Another point is that at the time of the tweet, my client could not have perceived it as a crime. The Supreme Court defined PYD/YPG/YPJ as an organization five months after the tweet was posted. The sharing does not constitute propaganda crime, and we request an acquittal."
After a 10-minute break, the court announced its decision to sentence journalist Neşe İdil to 1 year and 3 months in prison for the alleged crime. The announcement of the verdict was deferred.
