This week, trials related to journalism and freedom of expression will continue with various charges. Throughout the week, MLSA’s Case Monitoring Unit will share developments from the hearings in both Turkish and English on Twitter @MLSADavaTakip.
January 13, Monday
12:05 PM - The 17th hearing of Ferhat Tunç’s case, in which he is tried for "insulting" Binali Yıldırım, will be held at the Büyükçekmece 16th Criminal Court of First Instance.
1:30 PM - The second hearing of the case opened against former AKUT president Nasuh Mahruki, based on his criticism of the statement made by YSK President Ahmet Yener on electronic voting, will take place at the Istanbul 15th Criminal Court of First Instance.
January 14, Tuesday
9:00 AM - The case in which former HDP Deputy Co-Chair, Van MP, and journalist Tayip Temel, and former HDP Mardin MP Pero Dündar, along with 36 others, are being retried on charges of "establishing and managing an organization" will be held at the Diyarbakır 2nd Heavy Criminal Court.
11:25 AM - The seventh hearing of the case opened by Mustafa Varank against Ahmet Sever, former Senior Media, Communications, and Public Relations Advisor to former President Abdullah Gül, for his book İçimde Kalmasın/Tanıklığımdır (published in 2018), which allegedly insults him, will be heard at the Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance. At 11:30 AM, the 15th hearing of another case, where Sever faces charges of "insulting the president" based on the same book, will also take place at the same court.
12:00 PM - The trial of 38 individuals, including journalists Taylan Özgür Öztaş, Tunahan Turhan, and MLSA-supported journalist Vedat Örüç, who are charged with violating the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations (Law No. 2911), will be held at the Istanbul Anadolu 76th Criminal Court of First Instance.
January 15, Wednesday
10:15 AM - The retrial of journalist Çiğdem Akbayrak, whose case was sent back by the Constitutional Court (AYM) on charges of "insulting the president," will continue at the Trabzon Regional Court of Justice 2nd Criminal Chamber.
3:00 PM - The second hearing of the case in which Sultan Eylem Keleş is tried for "insulting the president," and the case was returned with a violation decision from AYM, will take place at the İzmir 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance.
January 16, Thursday
9:30 AM - The fourth hearing of the case opened against former Agence France-Presse (AFP) photojournalist Bülent Kılıç on charges of "resisting to prevent official duty" and "publicly insulting a public officer" will take place at the Istanbul 19th Criminal Court of First Instance.
9:40 AM - The 28th hearing of the case in which Özgür Gündem newspaper’s editors Hüseyin Aykol, Zana Bilir Kaya, former responsible editor İnan Kızılkaya, and politician Hatip Dicle are tried for allegedly "insulting the Turkish nation, the state of Turkey, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, the government of Turkey, and the judiciary" under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code will be held at the Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance.
10:00 AM - The sixth hearing of the case against Ramazan Yurttapan, Responsible Editor of Democratic Modernity magazine, editor Haydar Ergül, and contributors Cihan Doğan, Musa Şanak, and Zülal Nazan Üstündağ for "insulting the Turkish nation, the state of Turkey, its institutions, and organs" will take place at the Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance.
10:10 AM - The 11th hearing of the case against journalist Can Dündar, who is being retried on charges of "obtaining confidential information for espionage purposes" and "aiding a terrorist organization" related to the "MİT Trucks case," will take place at the Istanbul 14th Heavy Criminal Court.
10:55 AM - The ninth hearing of the case against journalist Barış Pehlivan and former Responsible Editor of Cumhuriyet Ozan Alper Yurtoğlu, who are tried for "insulting the president" and "insulting a public officer" regarding the "SaBıKa Holding" brochure prepared by the CHP, will take place at the Istanbul 15th Criminal Court of First Instance.
11:30 AM - The seventh hearing of the case against journalist Zeynep Kuray, who was detained along with nine others while covering a protest in support of former HDP MP Leyla Güven, on charges of violating the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations (Law No. 2911) will be held at the Istanbul 39th Criminal Court of First Instance.
11:50 AM - The trial of journalists Taylan Öztaş and Muhammed Enes Sezgin, who face charges of "simple battery" following an attack on journalists covering a protest in Kasımpaşa, after a racist attack on a Kurdish family in Konya, will be held at the Istanbul 63rd Criminal Court of First Instance.
12:00 PM - The 10th hearing of the case against journalist Deniz Yücel, who is charged with "insulting the Turkish nation, the state of Turkey, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, the government of Turkey, and the judiciary" under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, will take place at the Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance.
