EYLEM SONBAHAR
Two separate trials against investigative journalist Barış Pehlivan, filed following complaints by Boğaziçi University Rector Mehmet Naci İnci and Court of Cassation member Yüksel Kocaman, have been postponed to Jan. 6, 2026.
The trials, both stemming from articles published in the Turkish daily Cumhuriyet, resumed on Tuesday at the Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance. Pehlivan is facing charges of “publicly insulting a public official in connection with his duty” and “defamation” as well as “insult via written, visual or audio communication.”
In the first case, Boğaziçi University Rector Mehmet Naci İnci filed a complaint over an article titled “Are you the one protecting confidential information?” published on Dec. 29, 2023. The piece referenced Higher Education Council (YÖK) disciplinary board reports and allegations by academic Tuna Tuğcu. Pehlivan did not attend the third hearing; his lawyer Özge Naz Akkaya was present in court.
A lawyer representing the Turkish Journalists’ Union (TGS) also monitored the hearing. The plaintiff's attorney argued, “All elements of the crime are present. Our complaint stands. We request the defendant’s conviction.”
Defense attorney Akkaya responded, “We submitted information related to the YÖK Disciplinary Board investigation file between hearings. We request the court officially request this file. We also reiterate our request to hear our witness.”
The prosecutor requested the court resolve the missing elements in the case. The court decided to send a writ to YÖK, requesting the March 2, 2023, decision by its disciplinary board and all associated documents. It also ruled to evaluate the witness request later and postponed the trial to Jan. 6, 2026, at 2:00 p.m.
The second case involves another Cumhuriyet article titled “I am revealing the killers,” published on Sept. 22, 2023. The complaint was filed by Yüksel Kocaman, a member of Turkey’s Court of Cassation and former chief public prosecutor of Ankara. He accuses Pehlivan of defamation and insult via media. The third hearing in that case was also adjourned to Jan. 6, 2026, due to missing documentation.
