- In eight court cases monitored this week, a total of 64 individuals, including 12 journalists, stood trial.
- Journalist Murat Aksoy was acquitted in a retrial, while artist Pınar Aydınlar was sentenced to 6 years and 3 months in prison in the HDK case.
- Journalist Enver Aysever was arrested over a political criticism, charged with “inciting hatred and hostility among the public.”
In the week of December 8, eight hearings related to freedom of expression were monitored, in which 64 people appeared before a judge.
In the retrial of former executives of the now-shuttered Taraf newspaper—Ahmet Altan, Yasemin Çongar, Yıldıray Oğur, and reporter Mehmet Baransu—on charges of “disclosing and procuring confidential documents related to state security,” the court postponed proceedings because Baransu could not be brought to the hearing due to his detention in another case. During the hearing, witness Kurtuluş Tayiz was heard via written order, and defense lawyers were not allowed to question him—this drew attention. The court ruled that Baransu be present via the Audio and Video Information System (SEGBİS) and the witness also be heard through SEGBİS at the next hearing. The trial was postponed to May 11, 2026.
Artist Pınar Aydınlar, who had previously been arrested and then released as part of the HDK investigation, was sentenced to 6 years and 3 months in prison for “membership in an armed terrorist organization.” The court increased the sentence under the Anti-Terror Law, but applied a reduction due to the defendant’s courtroom conduct. It was recorded that the hearing began late due to court workload and that the physical conditions of the courtroom were inadequate (news report).
Journalists Erdoğan Alayumat, Tuğçe Yılmaz, Suzan Demir, Gülcan Dereli, Kemal Taylan Abatan, as well as translator Serap Güneş and sociologist Berfin Atlı, were tried for “aiding a terrorist organization” for their bylined reporting in the Germany-based Yeni Özgür Politika and PolitikArt publications. They appeared for the first time before the Istanbul 13th High Criminal Court. The court decided to send the case file to the prosecutor’s office for preparation of the final opinion, and ruled that the international travel bans and judicial control measures requiring signature remain in place. The next hearing was scheduled for February 17, 2026 (news report).
In the moral damages lawsuit filed by Bilal Erdoğan against journalist Furkan Karabay, seeking TL 250,000 over a social media post, the court decided to wait for the outcome of the related criminal case in which Karabay is charged with “insult” and “defamation.” The case was postponed to May 7, 2026.
In the trial of journalist Barış Terkoğlu, who is charged with “publicly insulting a public official” following a complaint by former Istanbul Regional Court of Justice Chief Prosecutor Hadi Salihoğlu, the hearing was held in absentia due to the presiding judge being on leave, and a new hearing date was scheduled.
In the case against journalist Deniz Yücel, based on an article published in Die Welt and initiated by former Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu, the court noted that the crime of insult has been included under the pre-payment scheme by law and decided to offer Yücel a pre-payment option. The case, in which a warrant for Yücel’s arrest remains pending, was postponed to February 27, 2026.
In cases related to assemblies and demonstrations, the trial of 23 university students prosecuted in Ankara for participating in the “March 19 protests” was postponed to allow for completion of defense statements. In another case, 26 individuals on trial for attending a commemoration of the Amasra mine disaster were each sentenced to 5 months in prison for violating Law No. 2911.
In Diyarbakır, the trial of seven members of the organizing committee for the 2021 Newroz celebrations was also postponed (news report).
Journalist Murat Aksoy was acquitted at the second hearing of his retrial for “knowingly and willingly aiding a terrorist organization,” following a ruling by the Constitutional Court that his rights had been violated (news report).
In the seventh hearing of the trial against former Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş, who is charged with “insulting state institutions and security forces” over a speech he gave at the “Peace Against War” rally in Batman in 2016, his lawyer Mahsuni Karaman reiterated his previous statements and emphasized that Demirtaş is facing the same charges in both Mersin and Diyarbakır, renewing the request to merge the cases. The court postponed the hearing to April 7, 2026, requesting that procedural deficiencies be addressed (news report).
In another trial related to a press statement held in Hasankeyf, the hearing involving 31 people, including journalist Sonya Bayık, was postponed for the completion of procedural deficiencies (news report).
Other developments
In addition, a police intervention targeting Anadolu Agency (AA) reporters covering a news story about a police officer’s suicide in Adıyaman was also recorded this week as a violation of freedom of expression.
Journalist Enver Aysever was detained after criticizing Hasan İmamoğlu, father of detained Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, in a program broadcast on his YouTube channel. Following his interrogation, Aysever was arrested by the court on charges of “inciting hatred and hostility among the public” and sent to prison.
In an ongoing “drug” investigation conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, Mehmet Akif Ersoy, Editor-in-Chief of Habertürk, was detained along with three others. They were later arrested by the on-duty Criminal Judgeship of Peace on charges of “purchasing, using, and possessing drugs” and “providing a venue or opportunity for drug use.” Following the operation, Habertürk television announced that Ersoy had been suspended from his position as Editor-in-Chief to ensure the integrity of the investigation.
Additionally, FreeWebTurkey announced that the online platform Armut.com was blocked by order of the Istanbul Anatolian 7th Criminal Judgeship of Peace.
