Eylem Sonbahar
13 June, Istanbul - A prosecutor has called for penalties against six journalists for participating in a "solidarity protest" deemed illegal. The court granted time for the defense to prepare.
The third hearing of the trial against ETHA editor Pınar Gayıp, Evrensel reporter Eylem Nazlıer, Direnişteyiz.org reporter Esra Soybir, Mücadele Birliği reporter Serpil Ünal, Gazete Patika reporter Yadigar Aygün, and MLSA-represented journalist Zeynep Kuray was held at the Istanbul Anadolu 22nd Criminal Court of First Instance. The journalists face charges of "participating in illegal meetings and demonstrations without arms and failing to disperse on their own accord despite warnings" during a press statement on April 29, 2023, in front of the Süreyya Opera House in Istanbul's Kadıköy district.
The journalists were protesting the detention and arrest of their colleagues in Diyarbakır and Ankara. None of the journalists attended the hearing, but their lawyers were present. A uniformed and a plainclothes police officer were also in the courtroom.
The judge noted that a response had been received from the Antalya 34th Criminal Court of First Instance regarding the request to obtain the defense statement of journalist Esra Soybir.
The prosecutor argued that the journalists "persisted in continuing the illegal demonstration and meeting despite warnings" and that they "committed the alleged crime in unity of thought and action." The prosecutor requested that the six journalists be penalized for "participating in illegal meetings and demonstrations without arms and failing to disperse on their own accord despite warnings."
The court accepted the defense lawyers' request for time to prepare their defense against the prosecutor's opinion and adjourned the trial to October 31.
