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Journalists Eylem Sonbahar and Sema Karakurt are acquitted after four years

Journalists Eylem Sonbahar and Sema Karakurt are acquitted after four years
Antalya - The 13th hearing of the trial where 13 people, including journalists Eylem Sonbahar and Sema Karakurt whom MLSA represents in court, face “defying the Law no. 2911 on Assemblies and Demonstrations” charge was held in the Antalya 7th Criminal Court of First Instance. All defendants, including journalists Eylem Sonbahar and Sema Karakurt are acquitted of all charges. The 13th hearing of the trial where 13 people who were detained during the G20 protests on November 15, 2015, in Antalya including journalists Eylem Sonbahar and Sema Karakurt face “defying the Law no. 2911 on Assemblies and Demonstrations” charge was held today at Antalya 7th Criminal Court of First Instance. The defendants who did not attend today’s hearing were all represented by their lawyers. Attorney Merve Kurhan of the Legal Team of MLSA represented journalists Eylem Sonbahar and Sema Karakurt at today’s hearing.  The prosecutor was the first to take the floor. He reiterated his final opinion, which he presented to the court in the previous hearing. The prosecutor requested that all defendants be acquitted. After the prosecutor, the defendants’ lawyers took the floor and stated that they agree with the prosecutor’s opinion and requested that their clients be acquitted. The presiding judge announced his decision without taking a deliberation break and acquitted all the defendants on the grounds that the conduct which the defendants were charged with has not been defined as a crime in the criminal laws.

Background

During the protests against the G20 Leaders Summit in Antalya, the police had detained 35 people in total. 15 out of 35 were indicted with “defying the Law no. 2911 on Assemblies and Demonstrations” charge. The indictment presents 15 people’s attendance at the G20 protests on November 15, 2015, including journalists Sonbahar and Karakurt who were covering the event as evidence against the defendants. At the 12th hearing of the trial held on January 11, 2022, the prosecutor requested that all the defendants except for the two whose files were separated from the case file be acquitted. At the same hearing, the court also ruled to separate the files of the two defendants from the case file.
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Medya ve Hukuk Çalışmaları Derneği (MLSA) haber alma hakkı, ifade özgürlüğü ve basın özgürlüğü alanlarında faaliyet yürüten bir sivil toplum kuruluşudur. Derneğimiz başta gazeteciler olmak üzere mesleki faaliyetleri sebebiyle yargılanan kişilere hukuki destek vermektedir.