Eylem Sonbahar
An Istanbul court has sentenced journalists Vedat Örüç, Taylan Öztaş, and Tunahan Turhan to five months in prison for "violating the Law on Assemblies and Demonstrations" while covering a 2019 protest against the government’s appointment of trustees to replace elected mayors in southeastern Turkey. The journalists were acquitted of a separate charge of "resisting to prevent a public official from performing their duty."
The 13th hearing in the case, which involved a total of 40 defendants including the three journalists, took place at the 76th Criminal Court of First Instance in Istanbul's Anatolian district. The protest occurred on Aug. 20, 2019, in the Kadıköy district of Istanbul, in response to the Turkish government’s removal of elected mayors in Diyarbakır, Mardin, and Van — cities in the predominantly Kurdish southeast — and their replacement with state-appointed trustees, known as “kayyums.”
The defendants were charged with “participating in an unlawful assembly or demonstration without weapons and failing to disperse despite warnings” and “resisting to prevent a public official from performing their duty.” Defense lawyers attended the hearing.
Attorney Emine Özhasar, representing Vedat Örüç — who was arrested in January in a separate Istanbul-based investigation and whose legal defense is being handled by the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA) — argued that her client was simply doing his job as a journalist. “From the beginning, he has consistently stated in court that he is a journalist. His presence at the scene was due to his professional duties, which cannot be considered a crime. We request his acquittal,” she said.
Nazlıcan Çelik, lawyer for co-defendant Dilek Başalan, argued that the elements of the alleged crime had not been met. “No official ban was announced, no security perimeter was established, and no formal dispersal warning was issued. According to European Court of Human Rights rulings, peaceful assemblies and demonstrations cannot be obstructed. There was no breach of public order,” she said in defense of her client, requesting acquittal.
The court found the three journalists and 34 other defendants guilty of violating the Law on Assemblies and Demonstrations and issued five-month prison sentences. However, it ruled to defer the announcement of the verdict, meaning the sentences will not be enforced unless the defendants are convicted of a similar offense within a certain probationary period.
On the second charge of resisting law enforcement, the court acquitted all the defendants, citing insufficient conclusive evidence to establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
Three minors aged between 15 and 18 at the time of the incident were also given prison sentences of three months and 10 days for the same offense. Their sentences were likewise deferred.
