Rabia Çetin
A Turkish court once again failed to deliver a verdict in the trial of journalist Sedef Kabaş, accused of “insulting the president” over 25 social media posts, after a hearing that lasted just five minutes despite starting 90 minutes late.
The 10th hearing in the case was held at the Istanbul Anatolian 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance, located on the Asian side of Turkey’s largest city. Kabaş did not attend the session. Her lawyer, Selen Sınmaz, and Mehmet İnal, the attorney representing President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, were present in court.
Following identity verification procedures, Erdoğan’s lawyer argued that Kabaş’s statements were clear and public, and called for her punishment.
Sınmaz, representing Kabaş, pointed to a related case file at the Istanbul 36th Criminal Court of First Instance that had been overturned, and requested an immediate acquittal for her client.
The prosecutor, when asked for an opinion on the merits, said that outstanding deficiencies in the case should first be addressed.
The court ruled that, given the possibility that the alleged offense could be deemed proven, Article 43/1 of the Turkish Penal Code — which allows for increased penalties in cases involving repeated offenses — could be applied. It also decided to seek the consolidation of this case with another file pending at the Istanbul 36th Criminal Court of First Instance.
The judge rejected the request for acquittal and adjourned the hearing until 10:50 a.m. on Oct. 8.
