May 28, 2024 - The prosecutor in the trial of journalist Pelin Özkaptan, who is being prosecuted for her posts about Eylem Ataş, who died fighting against ISIS, has called for a sentence on charges of "continuous terrorist propaganda."
The second hearing of the case against Özkaptan, defended by the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), took place at the Istanbul 13th High Criminal Court. Although Özkaptan did not attend, her lawyer, Emine Özhasar from the MLSA Legal Unit, was present.
In his final opinion, the prosecutor argued that Özkaptan's posts constituted propaganda for the Revolutionary Communard Party/United Freedom Forces (DKP/BÖG). He asserted that these posts legitimized and praised the violent methods of the DKP/BÖG and requested that Özkaptan be sentenced for "continuous terrorist propaganda."
Lawyer Emine Özhasar requested additional time to prepare a defense against the prosecutor's final opinion. The court granted this request and postponed the hearing to October 9.
Background on the case
Journalist Pelin Özkaptan is on trial for "terrorist propaganda" based on her social media posts about Eylem Ataş, who died fighting ISIS. The prosecution cites two posts made on her X (formerly Twitter) account on June 27, 2019, and June 27, 2022, as evidence for the charges of "terrorist propaganda."
