Eylem Sonbahar
The retrial of Şebnem Korur Fincancı, Erol Önderoğlu, and Ahmet Nesin—who were previously acquitted but faced renewed prosecution after an appeals court overturned the decision—has been postponed once again. The court is waiting for a response to a request sent abroad to collect Nesin's defense statement.
The 12th hearing of the case took place at the Istanbul 13th High Criminal Court. The three defendants are being prosecuted on charges of "spreading terrorist propaganda," "inciting the public to commit crimes," and "praising crime and criminals" for their participation in a campaign supporting Özgür Gündem, a pro-Kurdish newspaper that was shut down by a government decree. Fincancı is the former head of the Turkish Medical Association (TTB), Önderoğlu is the Turkey representative for Reporters Without Borders (RSF), and Nesin is a writer.
Erol Önderoğlu and his lawyer, Abbas Yalçın, were present at the hearing, which was also observed by representatives from the French and Dutch consulates. The prosecution requested that missing procedural matters be addressed, while the court ruled to wait for the response to its request regarding Nesin’s statement. The trial has been postponed to April 29 at 10 a.m.
