The trial where Özgür Gündem daily executives and writers face terror-related charges is adjourned until 8 May
İstanbul - Twelfth hearing of the trial where Co-Editors-in-Chief, Managing Editor and 20 writers of the since shut-down Özgür Gündem daily face “making terrorist propaganda,” “praising an offense or an offender,” and “provoking commitment of a crime” charges was held at the Istanbul 14th High Criminal Court today.
The prosecutor repeated their final opinion as to the accusations. Lawyer Özcan Kılıç requested extra time for defense statements due to the high number of defendants. Kılıç also requested to merge Eren Keskin’s case at the Istanbul 23rd High Criminal Court with this one.
The court decided to ask for the 23rd High Criminal Court’s opinion regarding the request for merging the files and ruled to wait for the execution of arrest warrants. The next hearing will take place on 8 May.
What had happened?
Özgür Gündem daily was shut down on 30 October 2016 with the Decree Law no. 675. The newspaper’s Co-Editors-in-Chief Eren Keskin and Hüseyin Aykol, Managing Editor Reyhan Çapan and writers Filiz Koçali, Ayşe Berktay, Nuray Özdoğan, Celalettin Can, Ayşe Batumlu, Reyhan Hacıoğlu, Bülent Alp, Cemal Bozkurt, Çetin Ulu, Emrullah Kurcan, Ruhat Kaya, Serbest Zan, Tahir Temel, Enver Baysal, Ergin Atabey, Hasan Başak, Hüseyin Güçlü, İhsan Yorulmaz, Muzaffer Ayata and Züleyha Yılmaz were indicted for the articles published in the newspaper on charges of “making terrorist propaganda” and “praising an offense or an offender,” and “provoking commitment of a crime.” Two separate cases were merged.
Editor-in-Chief Eren Keskin appears as a defendant in 47 cases, whereas the other Editor-in-Chief Hüseyin Aykol appears as a defendant in 38 cases.
