- Journalist Vedat Örüç, represented by the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), was acquitted of charges of “membership in an armed terrorist organization” after the court ruled that the allegations against him had not been proven.
- The court issued the acquittal despite the prosecutor’s request for a prison sentence. Örüç had previously been released at the first hearing of his trial after spending 130 days in pretrial detention.
MLSA – The Mersin 6th High Criminal Court acquitted Örüç on Nov. 3 during the seventh hearing of his trial.
During the hearing, the prosecutor requested that Örüç be sentenced under Article 314/2 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), which criminalizes membership in an armed organization.
The prosecution cited Örüç’s alleged ties to Medya Haber TV through Güncel Prodüksiyon Medya Yayın Hizmetleri Limited Şirketi, the company where he worked, along with his Social Security Institution (SGK) employment records and telephone conversations, as evidence supporting the charges.
The prosecutor’s final opinion also referred to a phone conversation Örüç had on April 2, 2024. Discussions about developments in the Middle East, the Kurdish issue, Rojava — a term commonly used to refer to Kurdish-majority areas of northern Syria — and political organizations in the region were presented as evidence against him.
The court, however, ruled that there was insufficient evidence to establish that Örüç had committed the alleged offense and acquitted him.
Background
Örüç was detained on Jan. 17, 2025, alongside five other journalists and media workers. He was formally arrested on Jan. 20 on charges of “membership in an armed terrorist organization.”
After spending 130 days in pretrial detention, he was released at the first hearing of his trial before the Mersin 6th High Criminal Court.
In his defense statement at that hearing, Örüç argued that the allegations against him were based on his journalistic activities. He said he had never worked directly for Medya Haber TV and that his SGK employment registration was with Güncel Medya Prodüksiyon, a company that supplied content to the broadcaster.
Örüç explained that the company produced news reports, documentaries and arts and culture programming, adding that he worked as an independent journalist.
An MLSA lawyer representing Örüç argued that journalists could not be held responsible for the editorial policies of the media organizations they worked for and that journalistic activities could not be used as evidence of membership in a terrorist organization. The lawyer requested Örüç’s release and acquittal.
The indictment cited Örüç’s SGK employment records, a telephone conversation and photographs showing him alongside fellow journalists as evidence supporting the charges.
The case file also included references to Örüç being seen with Eylem Babayiğit and Berivan Karatorak.
