Various journalism and freedom of expression cases will continue this week.
Throughout the week, the MLSA Case Monitoring Unit will share updates from the hearings in both Turkish and English via their account @MLSADavaTakip.
February 10, Monday
09:30 AM – The first hearing of the trial against journalist Melike Aydın will be held at İzmir 13th Heavy Criminal Court. Aydın was arrested on February 13, 2024, during a raid on her home, and is facing charges of "membership in a terrorist organization." Aydın, since last February, has been under house arrest.
11:00 AM – The first hearing of the trial against journalist Tolga Günay will be held at İzmir 13th Heavy Criminal Court. Günay was also arrested on February 13, 2024, during a raid on his home and is facing charges of "membership in a terrorist organization." Günay, since last February, has been under house arrest.
February 11, Tuesday
10:00 AM – The second hearing of the trial against journalists Esra Solin Dal, Mehmet Aslan, and their lawyer Erdoğan Alayumat will be held at Istanbul 25th Heavy Criminal Court. The journalists were arrested under accusations of "membership in a terrorist organization" and were released after 24 days in custody.
10:20 AM – The second hearing of the trial against journalist Furkan Karabay will be held at Ankara 16th Criminal Court of First Instance. Karabay is accused of "publicly insulting a public official" due to sharing a Presidential Decree on social media regarding appointments to the ministry. The indictment includes former Deputy Ministers Hasan Yılmaz, Akın Gürlek, and Constitutional Court member İrfan Fidan as the complainants.
11:10 AM – The fifth hearing of the trial against Mücella Yapıcı, Ali Hakan Altınay, and Yiğit Ali Ekmekçi will be held at Istanbul 13th Heavy Criminal Court. They are accused of "violating the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations" following the 2013 Gezi Park protests, after their 18-year prison sentences were overturned by the 3rd Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation.
February 12, Wednesday
10:30 AM – The third hearing of the trial against lawyer Nazan Betül Vangölü Kozağaçlı will be held at Istanbul 26th Heavy Criminal Court. Kozağaçlı, arrested following a police raid at the Halkın Hukuk Bürosu, is accused of "membership in a terrorist organization."
11:00 AM – The first hearing of the trial against journalist Delal Akyüz will be held at İzmir 13th Heavy Criminal Court. Akyüz has been under house arrest since February and is accused of "membership in a terrorist organization" based on her news reports, agency's editorial policy, phone conversations with news sources, and news archive. MLSA is representing Akyüz.
11:35 AM - The third hearing of the trial against Dr. Cenk Yiğiter, an academic and lawyer expelled from Ankara University Faculty of Law by a decree law (KHK) issued during the state of emergency, on charges of "insulting the President," will be held at Ankara 53rd Criminal Court of First Instance.
02:10 PM – The second hearing of the trial against LGBT+ activist İris Mozalar will be held at Istanbul 11th Criminal Court of First Instance. Mozalar was arrested for criticizing racist attacks against Syrians in Kayseri on social media, and is facing charges of "inciting the public to hatred and hostility."
February 13, Thursday
11:15 AM – The 25th hearing of the trial against Mehmet Kamış and Ali Çolak, former senior members of Zaman newspaper, will be held at Istanbul 26th Heavy Criminal Court. The two are facing charges of attempting to overthrow the Turkish Parliament, the Turkish government, and the constitutional order, as well as "membership in a terrorist organization."
February 14, Friday
09:50 AM – The first hearing of the trial against journalist Metin Cihan will be held at Istanbul 46th Criminal Court of First Instance. Cihan is facing charges of "insult" following a complaint by Burak Erdoğan, based on his social media post claiming that Erdoğan's ship was involved in shipments from Israel during the Gaza bombing.
10:40 AM – The ninth hearing of the trial against Gülsüm Elvan and Sami Elvan will be held at Istanbul 43rd Criminal Court of First Instance. The Elvans are facing charges of "insulting the president" following statements they made after their child Berkin Elvan died due to injuries sustained from a police gas canister during the Gezi Park protests.
