During the fourth hearing of the trial in Ankara, the prosecutor demanded punishment for 11 journalists from Mezopotamya Agency (MA) and JINNEWS on charges of "membership in an organization". The journalists are accused of creating "perception against Turkey" through their reports, which the prosecutor termed as "so-called news".
The trial, held at Ankara’s 4th High Criminal Court, involves MA’s Editorial Manager Diren Yurtsever, reporters Berivan Altan, Selman Güzelyüz, Hakan Yalçın, Emrullah Acar, Ceylan Şahinli, Zemo Ağgöz, JINNEWS reporters Habibe Eren, Öznur Değer, former MA intern Mehmet Günhan, and journalist Deniz Nazlım. These journalists were initially arrested on October 29, 2022, and subsequently released at the first hearing on May 16, 2023.
The hearing was attended by some of the accused journalists, including Selman Güzelyüz and Deniz Nazlım, along with representatives from the Human Rights Association (İHD) Ankara branch and members of the Lawyers for Freedom Association (ÖHD).
The prosecutor's statement argued that the journalists' defenses were "denial-oriented", as they claimed to be conducting routine journalistic activities without instructions from any organization. Furthermore, the prosecutor alleged that interviews conducted by the journalists with representatives from the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) and DEM Party were carried out on "instructions".
The indictment claims that through their work at Mezopotamya News Agency and Jin News, the journalists bolstered the motivation of organization sympathizers and members by spreading false perceptions that the state was attacking the Kurdish population. This allegation challenges the credibility of the journalists' defenses that they were merely engaged in legitimate journalistic activities.
Attorney Resul Tamur criticized the clarity and coherence of the prosecutor’s demands, emphasizing the necessity for a clear connection between the evidence and the accused.
The court decided to lift judicial controls on the journalists and postponed the trial to July 3, to hear the final defenses against the prosecutor's accusations.
