EYLEM SONBAHAR
Hüseyin Aykol and Reyhan Çapan have been sentenced to 4 years, 4 months, and 15 days each, while Ayşe Batumlu Kaya received 1 year, 9 months, and 2 days in prison on charges of “terrorist propaganda” in a retrial linked to articles published in the now-defunct Özgür Gündem newspaper. The court ruled that no verdict regarding lawyer Eren Keskin would be issued.
The 11th hearing of the case was held at the Istanbul 14th High Criminal Court, where former editors and writers of Özgür Gündem were retried on accusations of “openly inciting criminal activity” and “spreading terrorist propaganda.” The newspaper was shut down by a government decree in 2016.
While the defendants did not attend the hearing, their lawyers Özcan Kılıç and Sercan Korkmaz were present.
On October 8, 2024, the prosecutor submitted a final opinion, alleging that the newspaper had published content that “legitimized, glorified, and supported acts of violence.” The prosecutor sought convictions for Aykol, Kaya, Keskin, and Çapan under charges of “repeatedly engaging in terrorist propaganda.” At the December 19 hearing, the prosecutor revised the opinion, requesting that no judgment be made regarding the accusations of “incitement to commit a crime” and “praising a crime or a criminal.”
During the hearing, the defense lawyers reiterated their previous arguments.
Announcing the verdict, the court sentenced Aykol and Çapan to 4 years, 4 months, and 15 days each, and Kaya to 1 year, 9 months, and 2 days in prison for “terrorist propaganda.” The court dismissed the charges against Eren Keskin, ruling that no judgment was necessary.
