A Turkish court has acquitted seven journalists who were detained and later jailed over their participation in a memorial for two journalists killed in Syria, in a case closely watched by press freedom advocates.
MLSA - The Istanbul 24th High Criminal Court issued the verdict during the fifth hearing of the trial against journalists Hayri Tunç, Gülistan Dursun, Pınar Gayıp, Serpil Ünal, Can Papila, Muhammet Enes Sezgin and Osman Akın. They had been charged with “making propaganda for a terrorist organization” and “participating in an unlawful assembly and failing to disperse despite warnings.”
The case stemmed from a December 21, 2024 memorial planned in the Şişhane district of central Istanbul to commemorate Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin — two journalists who were killed in Syria. Police detained the seven journalists at the event, along with two others. All nine were arrested the following day, December 22, and held in pre-trial detention until their release was ordered on January 31.
None of the defendants were present at the fifth hearing, though their lawyers attended. The court panel ruled to acquit all seven journalists.
The fourth hearing in the case had taken place on October 2, during which the prosecutor reiterated a previous opinion seeking prison sentences for the journalists under the charge of terrorist propaganda and violating Turkey’s Law No. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations.
Defense lawyers argued that their clients had been surrounded by police before the press statement even began, had not been officially informed of any protest ban, and had not chanted slogans. They also emphasized that Daştan and Bilgin had no finalized criminal convictions, arguing that carrying their photos should not constitute a criminal offense.
At the October hearing, the court had also lifted a travel ban imposed on the journalists.
