EYLEM SONBAHAR
In the trial of political communicator Evren Barış Yavuz, who was charged with "publicly disseminating misleading information" after posting a comment about Selçuk Bayraktar and his brother Haluk Bayraktar at a Palestine rally, the court sentenced him to 1 year and 15 days in prison. However, the court deferred the announcement of the verdict, meaning the sentence will not be enforced unless Yavuz commits another crime within a specified period. Yavuz was acquitted of the "insult" charge, and the case regarding "making propaganda for a terrorist organization" was dismissed.
The case began after Yavuz shared a photo from a Palestine solidarity rally, which included the Bayraktar brothers, and captioned it with the comment, "They sold jet fuel." This came after the Ministry of Trade announced export restrictions to Israel. In response, an investigation was launched, leading to Yavuz's detention on April 13, 2024. The case also referenced an article Yavuz published in 2014 titled "Why the Alevis should have had a PKK," which was cited as part of the "terrorist propaganda" charge.
At the second hearing of the trial, held today at the Istanbul 23rd High Criminal Court, both Yavuz and his lawyers were present, along with the lawyers for complainants Haluk and Selçuk Bayraktar and Baykar Makina Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş. Yavuz's lawyer, Hasan Bektaş, argued that the social media post was a communication error and requested an acquittal.
After a brief recess, the court issued its decision. While sentencing Yavuz for the "misleading information" charge, the court deferred the announcement of the verdict. He was acquitted of the "insult" charge, and the charge of "making terrorist propaganda" was dismissed.
