İstanbul - The trial of 10 journalists, two politicians and two young people who were detained during a memorial event for two reporters killed while covering the conflict in Syria has been postponed until May 27. The case is being heard at the 25th High Criminal Court in Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city and a frequent center of legal proceedings against journalists and opposition figures.
The journalists are facing charges of “terrorist propaganda” and violating Turkey’s Law on Assemblies and Demonstrations over their participation in a December 21, 2024 event honoring Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin, who were killed in Syria while working as reporters. Defendants include journalists Gülistan Dursun, Hayri Tunç, Enes Sezgin, Osman Akın, Can Papila, Pınar Gayıp, and Serpil Ünal, along with politicians Hacı Ugiş and İmam Şenol. The court heard their defense statements during the hearing.
Another five individuals — Zeynep Kuray, Yadigar Aygün, Mahsun Sağlam, Pelin Laçin, and Yağmur Filiz — are only being tried under Article 2911 of the Law on Assemblies. The court ruled to separate their cases and forward them to a lower criminal court.
Journalists describe physical violence and rights violations
In his defense statement, journalist Can Papila said the memorial event was protected by the Turkish Constitution. “Journalism is the public’s mechanism of oversight. We participated in the memorial for Nazım and Cihan based on this principle,” he said. He added that the police intervened without warning and claimed there was no time or space to disperse. “They say we engaged in propaganda, but it’s not clear for whom. I request acquittal.”
Gülistan Dursun also emphasized the constitutional right to assemble. “It is our right to commemorate two murdered journalists,” she said, claiming police detained her and others with violence before the gathering began and that slogans chanted during the event did not constitute a crime.
Journalist Hayri Tunç said he was subjected to violence while in custody. “We were tortured and beaten during our detention. There was no call to disperse, and we were stopped and detained far from the protest site. Our hands were cuffed behind our backs, we were insulted, and my neck was grabbed.”
Politician Hacı Ugiş said he joined the memorial after seeing news reports about the killings on social media. “I only knew they were journalists. That’s why I was there,” he said.
Another politician, İmam Şenol, criticized the police response. “Normally police give warnings that everyone can hear, but this time they didn’t. They held us there. Officers threw the photos on the ground, and we picked them up. As Alevis, we stand against oppression, whoever the victim may be.”
Enes Sezgin, a reporter for the Yeni Yaşam newspaper, said Daştan and Bilgin were targeted for their journalistic work. “In war, journalists are often the first targets. This has been the case in Ukraine, Russia, and Palestine. Journalism was the real target here. That’s why I was there. There is no crime here. Turkey is among the most dangerous countries for journalists.”
Yeni Yaşam journalist Osman Akın said he wasn’t even at the protest site when police took his ID and later detained him. “A man claiming to be a commander told us to disperse, but there was no room to do so. I was carrying a banner for Hero Bahaddin — journalists we knew. They were killed after being demonized. I was there to oppose that. Then we were subjected to violence by the police.”
Pınar Gayıp, editor at the ETHA news agency, also recounted police abuse. “We were waiting on the sidewalk. There was no security corridor. We were tortured and insulted with sexist slurs for minutes. There was no call to disperse. Nazım and Cihan were killed in Rojava. Their vehicles clearly had ‘press’ written on them. The Geneva Conventions, which Turkey has signed, include protections for journalists. But no action was taken here. We weren’t given any basic needs for a day, and we were strip-searched at the prison. Journalism is not a crime. We will defend journalism in Rojava, Palestine, and everywhere in the world.”
Serpil Ünal, a reporter for Mücadele Birliği, said they participated in the event because they knew the two murdered individuals were journalists. “If anyone should be prosecuted, it’s those who issued the bans. They say we made propaganda, but for what? The slogans we chanted, like ‘Free press cannot be silenced’ and ‘We will win by resisting,’ are not illegal.”
Defense lawyers argue for acquittal, cite free expression
Defense attorneys argued that their clients were exercising their constitutional rights to free expression and assembly. Attorney Pelin Kımız said, “They simply carried photos of the murdered journalists — photos that show them holding cameras, not bearing any symbols. The prosecution claims there was a search warrant, but the participants would not have known that. Moreover, slogans like ‘We will win by resisting’ and ‘Martyrs never die’ are not considered crimes under European Court of Human Rights rulings.”
Gülistan Dursun’s lawyer, Bülent Kaya, said the arrests occurred before the protest began and accused authorities of preventing participants from dispersing. “The ban itself was illegal,” he said.
Hacı Ugiş’s lawyer, Ferat Boğatekin, added, “The murdered were journalists, and so are the defendants. Participating in this event was a human response. The event itself was lawful.”
Pınar Gayıp’s lawyer, Şükrü Alpsoy, said, “The state committed a crime. Is the Turkish Armed Forces exempt from accountability? If a person must choose between the state and human rights, they should side with human rights. The journalists who were killed were carrying cameras, not weapons. This is not a crime. The right to assembly and protest is constitutional. The ban served only to protect the perpetrators. Neither of the alleged crimes is substantiated.”
The court decided to transfer the cases of the five defendants charged solely under Article 2911 to a lower criminal court. For the remaining defendants, the trial was postponed until May 27 so that the prosecutor can prepare a final opinion on the case.
