Rabia Çetin
A Turkish court has postponed the trial of journalist Sedef Kabaş, who is facing charges of “insulting the president” over 25 social media posts. The eighth hearing of the case was held Thursday at the 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance in Istanbul’s Anatolian district.
Following the verification of identities, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s lawyer, Mehmet İnal, requested that Kabaş be convicted.
Kabaş’s attorney, Selen Sınmaz, called for an immediate acquittal or dismissal of the case, citing the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruling in the Vedat Şorli case, in which the court found that laws criminalizing insults against heads of state violated freedom of expression under the European Convention on Human Rights.
The court ruled to wait for final verdicts in two related cases being heard at the 36th Criminal Court of First Instance and the 7th Criminal Court of First Instance in Istanbul’s Anatolian district. The cases are reportedly connected in terms of content or charges.
The next hearing in Kabaş’s case has been scheduled for Feb. 5, 2026, at 10:20 a.m.
