Turkish writer Gökhan Yavuzel faces potential punishment in two separate cases charged with "insulting the president" based on his social media posts. The trials, represented by the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA) legal team, involve Yavuzel, a member of the International PEN Writers Association.
The first case pertains to a tweet posted by Yavuzel on June 22, 2021, from his account, in which he stated, "Deniz Poyraz's triggerman is Devlet Bahçeli, and the instigator is Tayyip Erdoğan; Erdoğan has transformed the gangster state into a mafia state." This post was cited as the basis for one of the charges of "insulting the president."
In another case, Yavuzel's video statement titled “Gökhan Yavuzel - Verbal Statement Against Death Threats” was cited. This video was a response to death threats made against various artists, including Yavuzel, from a Twitter account named “Kurtjitem.”
The trials, held at the Şanlıurfa 4th Criminal Court of First Instance, proceeded without Yavuzel's presence. His defense, represented by MLSA attorney Emine Özhasar, participated remotely from the Istanbul 39th Criminal Court of First Instance via the Audio and Video Information System (SEGBİS). In both cases, the prosecutor expressed their opinion on the merits, demanding punishment for Yavuzel under the charges of "insulting the president."
The court accepted attorney Özhasar's request for time to make a statement and postponed the trials to October 31, 2024.
