The trial of Şebnem Korur Fincancı, Ahmet Nesin, and Erol Önderoğlu, who symbolically served as editors-in-chief for a day in solidarity with the now-closed Özgür Gündem newspaper, was postponed again in a hearing today (20 Feb) due to incomplete documents, extending the already seven-year-long legal proceedings.
The ninth hearing of the case against Erol Önderoğlu, the Turkey Representative of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Prof. Dr. Şebnem Korur Fincancı, President of the Turkish Medical Association, and writer Ahmet Nesin, was held today at the Istanbul 13th High Criminal Court.
Representatives from the French and Dutch Consulates, as well as observers from press organizations such as the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the Turkish Journalists Union, the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), and P24, attended the hearing.
Önderoğlu, Korur Fincancı, and Nesin, who had symbolically assumed the role of editor-in-chief for a day in support of the Özgür Gündem newspaper, were acquitted in this case in 2019. However, following the annulment of this decision, the trial restarted in 2021.
In the reopened case, a statement regarding the annulment decision had yet to be obtained from Ahmet Nesin, who resides abroad. The court postponed the hearing to May 29, 2024, awaiting the response to the written request sent abroad to obtain Nesin's statement.
Background:
Prof. Dr. Şebnem Korur Fincancı, Ahmet Nesin, and Erol Önderoğlu were arrested in 2016 for participating in the On-call Editor-in-Chief campaign to support the Özgür Gündem newspaper, which was closed by a statutory decree. They spent ten days in prison and faced charges of "making terrorist propaganda," "openly inciting to commit crimes," and "praising crime and criminals." The court issued an acquittal in 2019, but the Court of Appeals overturned this decision on October 20, 2020, leading to the resumption of the trial.
