Numerous journalists, artists, and human rights defenders are scheduled to appear in court across Turkey during the week of July 7, facing charges ranging from terrorism-related offenses to insulting public officials and publishing confidential information. Trials will take place in Istanbul, Diyarbakır, Batman, and Elazığ, and often center on social media posts and news content.
July 7, Monday
At 11 a.m., journalist Pınar Gayıp will attend the second hearing of her trial at Istanbul’s 23rd High Criminal Court. She is charged with “membership in a terrorist organization” and “making terrorist propaganda.”
At 10 a.m., talent manager Ayşe Barım, arrested as part of the Gezi Park protests investigation, will appear for the first hearing of her trial at Istanbul’s 26th High Criminal Court. She is accused of “aiding an attempt to overthrow the government of the Republic of Turkey.”
July 8, Tuesday
At 9:10 a.m., photojournalist Çağdaş Erdoğan, represented by the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), will face charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” and “terrorist propaganda” before the Bursa 1st High Criminal Court.
At 11:25 a.m., journalist Baransel Ağca will continue his trial at Istanbul’s 43rd Criminal Court of First Instance over a social media post, charged with “publicly insulting religious values adopted by a segment of the population.”
At 9:40 a.m., journalist Furkan Karabay will face a lawsuit filed by President Erdoğan’s son Bilal Erdoğan. He is accused of “violating personal rights” over a social media post, and the plaintiff is seeking 250,000 Turkish lira in damages. The hearing will be held at the Istanbul 45th Civil Court of First Instance.
At the same time, journalist and musician Ferhat Tunç will be tried at the Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court. He is charged with “membership in a terrorist organization” and “making terrorist propaganda,” based on an indictment by the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Also at 10 a.m., journalist Mehmet Uçar will face the first hearing of his trial at Batman’s 2nd High Criminal Court. Arrested in Eskişehir on November 29, 2024, Uçar is accused of “membership in a terrorist organization” for allegedly producing content for the Europe-based Yeni Özgür Politika newspaper and PolitikArt magazine.
At 10:45 a.m., journalist Furkan Karabay will face another defamation lawsuit, this time filed by Mustafa Doğan İnal, former lawyer to President Erdoğan. İnal is seeking 100,000 Turkish lira in damages. The case will be heard at the Istanbul 33rd Civil Court of First Instance.
At 2:15 p.m., Selahattin Okçuoğlu, a member of the Human Rights Association (İHD), will appear for the second hearing of his trial at the Istanbul 26th High Criminal Court. He is charged with “making terrorist propaganda” over two social media posts dated July 5 and 7, 2024.
At 2:20 p.m., journalist Barış Pehlivan will face charges of “slander” and “insult” at Istanbul’s 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance in a case filed by Court of Cassation member Yüksel Kocaman. Earlier that day, at 2 p.m., Pehlivan will also stand trial on charges of “insulting a public official” following a complaint by Mehmet Naci İnci, the rector of Istanbul’s Boğaziçi University.
July 10, Thursday
At 10:10 a.m., Ayşe Kara will face trial at the Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court on charges of “armed membership in a terrorist organization,” part of an investigation into the Democratic Society Congress (DTK), a Kurdish-focused civil platform often targeted by prosecutors.
At 10:30 a.m., journalist Mads Anneberg, also represented by MLSA, will appear before the Edirne 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance, accused of “entering a military forbidden zone.”
At 10:35 a.m., journalist Hayko Bağdat, also defended by MLSA, will be tried at the Istanbul 28th High Criminal Court on charges of “making terrorist propaganda” based on various social media posts.
At 11:10 a.m., journalist Baransel Ağca will appear before the Elazığ 8th Criminal Court of First Instance. He is charged with “illegally obtaining or disseminating personal data” for publishing the autopsy report of journalism student Yeldana Kahraman.
At 11:20 a.m., the trial of journalists and politicians prosecuted for participating in a commemoration for Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin will continue at the Istanbul 24th High Criminal Court. They face charges of “making terrorist propaganda.”
At 2:30 p.m., journalist İsmail Arı will attend the third hearing of his trial at Istanbul’s 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance. He is accused of “insult” and “slander” following a complaint by Levent Uysal, a Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) lawmaker from Mersin and founder of Nişantaşı Education Foundation.
July 11, Friday
At 1:05 p.m., journalist Furkan Karabay will again be in court at the Istanbul 74th Criminal Court of First Instance. He is facing charges of “insulting the president” over three social media posts made in 2023. This will be the fifth hearing in the case.
