Deniz Tekin
A court in Istanbul held a three-minute hearing in the case of journalists and politicians charged with “terrorist propaganda” for attending a memorial for two reporters killed in Syria. The second hearing took place at the Istanbul 24th High Criminal Court but was delayed for nearly three hours and concluded without any defendants present.
The journalists and politicians are on trial for attending a commemoration on Dec. 21, 2024, for Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin, who were killed in Syria on Dec. 19 while reporting in the region. Although the defendants did not appear at the hearing, their lawyers were present in court. The session, expected to begin at 11:20 a.m., was delayed and began only around 2:20 p.m.
Due to the absence of witness testimony, the court ruled to maintain existing travel bans on the defendants and postponed the trial until July 10 at 11:20 a.m.
The case stems from a memorial event held in Istanbul just days after Daştan and Bilgin’s deaths. Following the gathering, several participants — including journalists and political figures — were detained and later charged with “making propaganda for a terrorist organization” and violating Turkey’s Law on Meetings and Demonstrations.
At the first hearing on April 11, the court decided to separate the files of five defendants who were only charged under the demonstrations law and referred their cases to a lower criminal court.
