Rabia Çetin
The trial of Turkish journalist Sedef Kabaş, who is facing charges of “insulting the president” over 25 of her social media posts, was postponed once again after its seventh hearing was held at the Istanbul Anadolu 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s lawyer Ahmet Özel and Kabaş’s lawyer Selen Sınmaz were present at the June 20 hearing. Özel told the court that the complaint remained in place, stating, “We believe the case file is complete and request that an opinion be issued and the defendant punished.”
Kabaş’s attorney Sınmaz referenced a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in the case of Vedat Şorli, arguing that the court should either immediately acquit her client or dismiss the case.
The court noted that Kabaş’s trial is connected to two other ongoing cases at the Istanbul 36th Criminal Court of First Instance and the Istanbul Anadolu 7th Criminal Court of First Instance. It ruled to wait for the verdicts in those cases to become final before proceeding.
The next hearing was scheduled for Nov. 13 at 10:30 a.m.
