Nalin Öztekin
In the retrial of journalist Hayri Demir, who is being prosecuted over his journalistic activities in Syria, the prosecutor has presented the final opinion on the case. The prosecutor requested that Demir be convicted on charges of “making continuous propaganda through the press” and “membership in a terrorist organization.”
The case against Demir, which has been ongoing since 2016 and formally entered trial in 2019 following the indictment, continued at the Ankara 15th High Criminal Court. This was the seventh hearing in the retrial, which was ordered after an appeals court overturned the previous ruling.
Demir attended the hearing, while his lawyer, Nuray Özdoğan, submitted an excuse for absence. The court saw yet another change in the prosecuting attorney, marking the sixth replacement of the prosecutor in the case.
At the start of the hearing, the newly appointed prosecutor immediately presented the final opinion, first calling for Demir to be sentenced for “making continuous propaganda through the press.” After the hearing was adjourned and a date was set for the next session, the prosecutor also added a request for Demir to be convicted on the charge of “membership in a terrorist organization.” The prosecutor stated that they were reiterating the opinion given before the appeals court overturned the previous ruling.
The trial was adjourned to April 14, 2025, to allow Demir and his lawyer to prepare their defense statements against the prosecutor’s final opinion.
