_large.jpg)
This week, court hearings involving journalists, politicians, and individuals prosecuted in connection with freedom of expression will continue in several Turkish cities. Hearings in Istanbul, Diyarbakır, Batman, and Erciş will include criminal and civil damages cases against journalists, as well as politically significant trials.
Monday, July 6, 2026
10:00 a.m. – A hearing will be held at the Istanbul 25th High Criminal Court in the trial of Tele1 founder and editor-in-chief Merdan Yanardağ, Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, his adviser Necati Özkan, and Hüseyin Gün, who are being tried together on charges of "political espionage." At the previous hearing, the court ruled to continue the defendants' pretrial detention, ordered that the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) be asked whether the information contained in the case file constitutes state secrets, and decided to await the outcome of various official requests for information.
11:00 a.m. – The first hearing in the case against comedian Tuba Ulu will be held at the Istanbul 13th Criminal Court of First Instance. Ulu was detained after making a joke about Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and was later charged with "inciting the public to hatred and hostility." She was taken into custody as part of an investigation launched after a recording of her performance circulated on social media and was subsequently released under judicial supervision.
Tuesday, July 7, 2026
10:15 a.m. – A hearing will be held at the Batman 3rd Criminal Court of First Instance in the case against former Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş, who is charged with "insulting state institutions." At the previous hearing, the court adjourned the proceedings to consider a request to merge the case with another file.
10:20 a.m. – A hearing will be held at the Istanbul 14th High Criminal Court in the case against Etkin News Agency (ETHA) reporters Züleyha Müldür, Ezgi Gürbüz, and Simay Ada Kart, who are charged with "membership in a terrorist organization" and "making terrorist propaganda." At the previous hearing, the court adjourned the proceedings to hear testimony from newly identified anonymous witnesses.
10:25 a.m. – The 19th hearing in the case against journalist Hayko Bağdat, who is receiving legal support from the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), will be held at the Istanbul 28th High Criminal Court. Bağdat is charged with "making terrorist propaganda" over his social media posts. At the previous hearing, the court ruled to keep an arrest warrant issued for the defendant in effect and adjourned the proceedings.
Wednesday, July 8, 2026
9:45 a.m. – A hearing will be held at the Istanbul 12th Civil Court of First Instance in a 150,000 Turkish lira (about $3,800) non-pecuniary damages lawsuit filed against journalist Furkan Karabay following a complaint by Yakup Ali Kahveci, deputy chief public prosecutor of Antalya. The court previously adjourned the case pending the outcome of the related criminal proceedings.
11:25 a.m. – The 27th hearing in the case against journalist and author Ercan Aktaş, whose defense is being handled by the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), will be held at the Bakırköy 2nd High Criminal Court. Aktaş is charged with "discouraging the public from military service" and "making terrorist propaganda." An arrest warrant issued for the defendant remains in effect.
11:43 a.m. – A hearing will be held at the Erciş 1st Criminal Court of First Instance in the case against journalist İdris Yılmaz, whose defense is being handled by the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA). He is charged with "repeatedly insulting public officials." At the previous hearing, the court granted additional time for the preparation of defense statements.
2:00 p.m. – A hearing in the murder trial over the killing of Hakan Tosun will be held at the Bakırköy 17th High Criminal Court. At the previous hearing, the court ruled to continue the defendants' pretrial detention, ordered the collection of phone traffic (HTS) records, and decided to forgo hearing testimony from certain witnesses.
Thursday, July 9, 2026
9:15 a.m. – A hearing will be held at the Diyarbakır 4th High Criminal Court in the case against 19 journalists and media workers, including Serdar Altan, Mehmet Ali Ertaş, Aziz Oruç, Zeynel Abidin Bulut, Ömer Çelik, Mazlum Doğan Güler, İbrahim Koyuncu, Neşe Toprak, Elif Üngür, Abdurrahman Öncü, Mehmet Şahin, Lezgin Akdeniz, Suat Doğuhan, Ramazan Geciken, Esmer Tunç, Mehmet Yalçın, Kadir Bayram, Remziye Temel, Berivan Karatorak, and Servet Yiğen, who are on trial on charges of "membership in a terrorist organization." At the previous hearing, the court adjourned the proceedings to allow time for the preparation of defense statements on the prosecutor's final opinion.
Friday, July 10, 2026
10:30 a.m. – A hearing will be held at the Istanbul 32nd Criminal Court of First Instance in the case against journalist Timur Soykan over his social media posts. He is charged with "publicly disseminating misleading information" and "publicly inciting the commission of a crime." At the previous hearing, the court lifted Soykan's travel ban and adjourned the proceedings to allow time for the preparation of defense statements in response to the prosecutor's final opinion.
