Eylem Sonbahar
Court News: June 6, 2024 In the retrial of former executives and a writer of the now-shuttered Özgür Gündem newspaper, the court is waiting for the outcome of an appellate case involving Ayşe Batumlu Kaya. Kaya faces charges of "praising crime and criminals" for an article published in the newspaper.
The eighth hearing of the trial, where Hüseyin Aykol, Ayşe Batumlu Kaya, Eren Keskin, and Reyhan Çapan are being retried on charges of "making terrorist propaganda" and "incitement to commit a crime" based on articles published in Özgür Gündem, was held at the Istanbul 14th High Criminal Court.
During the hearing, lawyer Özcan Kılıç noted that although the Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance indicated that Kaya's case was under appeal, the Istanbul Regional Court of Justice's 17th Criminal Chamber had finalized the decision. Kılıç requested the court to inquire about the status of the case from the 17th Criminal Chamber.
The prosecutor requested the completion of pending matters. The court noted that, according to the Supreme Court’s overturn decision, all consolidations of related cases were to be handled by the Istanbul 14th High Criminal Court. The court decided to send an inquiry to the Istanbul Regional Court of Justice's 17th Criminal Chamber to determine the status of the case against Ayşe Batumlu Kaya, where she had been fined on March 28, 2018, for "praising crime and criminals." If the decision is finalized, the court requested a copy.
The next hearing is scheduled for October 8.
