Istanbul — Freedom of expression cases intensified across Turkey in March, with courts hearing 63 trials involving 245 defendants, including journalists, lawyers, academics, artists, and activists. Nineteen cases resulted in rulings, including prison sentences, acquittals, and the removal of the Istanbul Bar Association’s executive board.
The month also witnessed the unexpected detention of seven journalists during their release process after being arrested in protests supporting Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. All were later released. In total, 151 people faced charges in 65 courtroom sessions observed in March, with journalists making up the largest group at 120 defendants. Thirty defendants were lawyers, while 86 were activists, including those tried in the long-running Saturday Mothers case.
Seven cases ended in full acquittal, while 12 resulted in convictions. One case led to a rare institutional decision: the dismissal of the Istanbul Bar Association's leadership.
Five detainees—journalist Suat Toktaş, journalist Eylem Babayiğit, academic Çiğdem Bayraktar Ör, lawyer Nazan Betül Kozağaçlı, and human rights advocate Nimet Tanrıkulu—were released during their court sessions.
Key verdicts from March
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Istanbul Bar Association case: A civil court in Istanbul ruled that the current board of the Istanbul Bar Association, led by Prof. Dr. İbrahim Kaboğlu, must be removed. The court cited Article 77 of the Attorneyship Law (No. 1136) and mandated elections within a month of the ruling becoming final.
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Eylem Babayiğit case: The journalist, jailed on charges of "membership in a terrorist organization," was sentenced to 1 year, 6 months, and 22 days by the Istanbul 22nd High Criminal Court. She was released following the verdict.
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Sezai Sarıoğlu case: Writer Sarıoğlu received a prison sentence of 1 year, 6 months, and 22 days for “making propaganda for a terrorist organization” based on social media posts.
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Nevşin Mengü case: Journalist Nevşin Mengü was sentenced to 1 year and 3 months for “terrorist propaganda” due to an interview with former PYD co-chair Salih Muslim.
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Cihan Çelik case: The artist was sentenced to 1 year and 3 months for “terrorist propaganda” after singing a song during an event in Belgium.
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Nasuh Mahruki case: The mountaineer and commentator was convicted of “publicly spreading misleading information” about Turkey’s election authority and sentenced to 11 months and 20 days in prison.
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Onur Öncü case: Journalist Onur Öncü was fined 1,740 Turkish lira for “insult,” following a complaint by a representative of the conservative newspaper Milat.
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Merdan Yanardağ case: The journalist was sentenced to 1 year and 3 months for “insulting the state and its institutions” based on remarks during a TELE1 broadcast.
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Özgür Gündem case: Former editors Hüseyin Aykol and İnan Kızılkaya were sentenced to 1 year and 3 months in five consolidated cases. Kızılkaya and Zana Bilir Kaya also received 10 months in a separate case. Charges against Hatip Dicle were separated into a new file.
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Pınar Gayıp case: Charges against journalist Gayıp were separated, but her co-defendants Gülsen Koç and Ferhat Pehlivan were sentenced to 3 years, 1 month, and 15 days for “terrorist propaganda.”
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Evrensel newspaper case: Owner Kürşat Yılmaz and former editor Görkem Kınacı were each sentenced to 10 months in prison for “defamation.” The court ruled that no judgment was needed on separate “insult” charges.
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Kadıköy protest case: In a trial involving 40 people, including journalists who covered a 2019 protest against government-appointed trustees, defendants received 5-month sentences for violating assembly laws but were acquitted of resisting police.
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Kazım Güleçyüz case: The journalist was sentenced to 1 year and 3 months for “terrorist propaganda” on social media. Two other defendants were acquitted.
Acquittals
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Saturday Mothers trial: All 46 defendants, tried for participating in the group's 700th weekly protest demanding accountability for enforced disappearances, were acquitted. The case had dragged on for eight years.
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Tunca Öğreten and Murat Baykara case: The two journalists were acquitted of charges of “failing to report a crime” and “promoting drug use” over their documentary Met Çıkmazı.
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Levent Gültekin case: The journalist was acquitted of “insulting the president.”
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Evrim Kepenek case: Kepenek, who faced charges for a post after the February 6 earthquakes, was also acquitted.
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İris Mozalar case: LGBT+ activist Mozalar was acquitted of “inciting hatred and hostility” through social media posts.
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Yusuf Eryazğan case: The doctor, prosecuted for publicly addressing vaccine supply shortages, was acquitted.
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Barış Pehlivan and Halk TV case: All journalists were acquitted of “attempting to influence the judiciary” after airing an interview with a court-appointed expert. Two additional charges are being addressed through a reconciliation process.
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Vice News journalists case: All defendants—Jake Hanrahan, Philip Pendlebury, Mohammed Ismael Rasool, and Abdurrahman Direkçi—were acquitted. The group had been detained while filming a documentary in the southeastern city of Diyarbakır.
Ongoing trials
Several high-profile trials continued without verdicts in March, including those of journalists Furkan Karabay, Zeynep Kuray, Hayko Bağdat, Ercan Aktaş, Öznur Değer, Asuman Aranca, Metin Cihan, Rüstem Batum, Veysi Sarısözen, Osman Akın, Telli Sancak, Baransel Ağca, Sedef Kabaş, and Ayşenur Arslan.
Others on trial include musician Ferhat Tunç, filmmaker Kazım Öz, as well as various lawyers and rights advocates.
Students from Istanbul’s Boğaziçi University facing charges related to a campus art exhibition and individuals arrested in Istanbul’s 1 Mayıs Mahallesi also stood trial. A case over the closure of the Tarlabaşı Community Center was among the proceedings followed throughout the month.
Many of these cases were postponed due to procedural delays, such as time needed for defense statements, the preparation of prosecutors’ final opinions, witness testimonies, or the execution of arrest warrants.
