Eylem Sonbahar
In the retrial of the Özgür Gündem newspaper case, journalists Hüseyin Aykol and Reyhan Çapan were sentenced to 4 years, 4 months, and 15 days in prison on charges of "terrorist propaganda." Ayşe Batumlu Kaya received a sentence of 1 year, 9 months, and 2 days. The court ruled that no decision would be made regarding Eren Keskin.
The 11th hearing of the case, which involves the executives and writers of the now-shuttered Özgür Gündem newspaper, took place at the Istanbul 14th High Criminal Court on 26 December. The defendants are accused of "openly inciting the commission of crimes" and "making terrorist propaganda" through articles published in the newspaper. Özgür Gündem was closed by a decree-law (KHK) following the 2016 coup attempt in Turkey.
None of the defendants were present at the hearing, but lawyers Özcan Kılıç and Sercan Korkmaz attended on their behalf. The prosecutor had previously argued in an October 8 opinion that the newspaper published articles that "legitimized, glorified, and supported acts of violence," requesting sentences for Aykol, Kaya, Keskin, and Çapan for "repeatedly making terrorist propaganda." In an additional opinion delivered on Dec. 19, the prosecutor dropped charges related to "inciting the commission of crimes" and "praising a crime and a criminal."
At the hearing, the lawyers reiterated their previous defense statements. Following deliberations, the court issued prison sentences for Aykol, Kaya, and Çapan, while declining to deliver a ruling against Keskin.
The Özgür Gündem newspaper, which supported Kurdish political causes, faced multiple legal challenges before its closure in 2016. Critics have viewed its trials as emblematic of the broader crackdown on press freedom and dissent in Turkey under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government.
