EYLEM SONBAHAR
Six journalists who were detained while attempting to hold a press statement in solidarity with their imprisoned colleagues have been sentenced to five months in prison. The Istanbul Anadolu 22nd Criminal Court of First Instance ruled that the journalists had committed the alleged offense, though it deferred the announcement of the verdict, meaning the sentences will not be enforced unless further offenses occur. Journalist Serpil Ünal was issued a judicial fine instead, as she was already under probation.
The defendants — Pınar Gayıp, Eylem Nazlıer, Esra Soybir, Serpil Ünal, Yadigar Aygün, and MLSA-represented journalist Zeynep Kuray — were charged with “participating in an unlawful assembly and refusing to disperse upon warning.” The charges stemmed from a solidarity demonstration held in front of the Süreyya Opera House in Istanbul’s Kadıköy district, in support of colleagues detained in separate investigations centered in Diyarbakır and Ankara.
During the trial, the prosecution argued that the journalists had “persisted in an illegal assembly despite police warnings” and called for their punishment. Defense lawyer Devrim Avcı Özkurt, representing journalist Eylem Nazlıer, countered that the district governor’s ban could not override constitutional rights, citing multiple Constitutional Court rulings affirming the right to assembly. MLSA lawyer Muhammed Ünsal, defending Zeynep Kuray, emphasized that the journalists had exercised their constitutional right to support their colleagues and argued that the ban represented a disproportionate restriction.
Journalist Yadigar Aygün highlighted the police’s sudden announcement of a ban just before the demonstration began. "We were at the location 40 minutes before the demonstration. No one warned us, but as soon as it started, they claimed there was a ban,” she said. She added that police had used disproportionate force, while none faced prosecution, and requested an acquittal.
Despite the defense arguments, the court found that the journalists had committed the offense, sentencing them to five months in prison, with the announcement of the verdict deferred.
