Throughout this week, various cases related to journalism and freedom of expression, facing various allegations, will continue to be heard.
During the week, the MLSA Trial Monitoring Unit will share updates from the hearings in Turkish and English via @MLSADavaTakip.
May 6th, Monday
09:00 - The trial for the closure of the Tarlabaşı Community Center (Tarlabaşı Toplum Merkezi) will continue at the Istanbul 18th Civil Court of First Instance.
11:05 - The 16th hearing of the trial against artist Ferhat Tunç, accused of "insulting President Erdoğan" in 10 tweets shared in 2016, will be held at Büyükçekmece 14th Criminal Court of First Instance.
11:30 - The second hearing of the trial against four members of the Left Party, accused of "insulting the president" due to distributing a declaration before the 2023 general elections, will take place at Bolu 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance.
May 7th, Tuesday
10:00 - The retrial of Mesopotamia Agency journalist (MA) Delal Akyüz, accused of "knowingly and willingly aiding a terrorist organization," following the Court of Cassation's reversal decision, will be heard at Izmir 20th Heavy Penal Court.
10:35 - The 22nd hearing of the trial against Rüstem Batum, accused of "openly insulting the Turkish nation, the Turkish state, the Parliament, the government, and the judiciary," will be held at Istanbul 43rd Criminal Court of First Instance.
10:45 - The third hearing of the compensation case filed by the Ministry of National Defense against Şebnem Korur Fincancı, the President of the Turkish Medical Association (TTB), based on her scientific evaluations during Media Haber's live broadcast, will take place at Ankara 2nd Civil Court of First Instance.
11:15 - The fifth hearing of the trial against seven students detained during a tent protest in Ankara in 2021 for "violating Law No. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations" and "resisting the duty" will be held at Ankara 37th Criminal Court of First Instance.
12:30 - The first session of the trial filed by MLSA on behalf of Sibel Yükler, who was unlawfully detained, had her freedom restricted by a judicial control decision, and had her computer and phone seized by the Ministry of Treasury and Finance, will be held at Ankara 23rd Heavy Penal Court.
May 8th, Wednesday
10:10 - The trial of former prosecutor and writer Gültekin Avcı, sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment and retried after the Court of Cassation's reversal decision, will continue at Istanbul 14th Heavy Penal Court. The trial, involving 13 fugitive former police chiefs and 90 defendants, was closed to the press in the previous session.
10:50 - The first hearing of the trial against Sedat M. and Zülküf B., accused of "attempted murder" against Yaman Kaya, the Editor-in-Chief of Başka Gazete, will be held at Bursa 6th Heavy Penal Court.
11:00 - The hearing regarding the objection to the prison sentence given to Sinan Aygül, President of the Bitlis Journalists Association, for allegedly insulting his attackers, will be held at Tatvan 1st Criminal Court of First Instance.
11:15 - The seventh hearing of the trial against 42 individuals arrested and tried for assault during the "2nd Ankara Pride March" attempted in July 2022, will be held at Ankara 52nd Criminal Court of First Instance.
11:55 - The 23rd hearing of the trial against journalist-writer Ercan Aktaş, represented by MLSA, accused of "discouraging people from military service" and "making propaganda for an organization," will be held at Bakırköy 2nd Heavy Penal Court.
May 9th, Thursday
09:05 - The third hearing of the defamation case filed by former AKP Erzurum Deputy Zehra Taşkesenlioğlu against journalist Faruk Arhan, represented by MLSA, will be held at Ankara Gölbaşı 1st Civil Court of First Instance.
09:15 - The fourth hearing of the trial against 18 journalists accused of "membership of a terrorist organization" based on their journalistic activities will be held at Diyarbakır 4th Heavy Penal Court. The trials of director Berivan Karatorak and cameraman Servet Yiğen were merged into this case, increasing the total number of defendants to 20.
09:15 - The trial of former HDP Co-Chair Figen Yüksekdağ, former HDP Deputy Group Chairs İdris Baluken and Çağlar Demirel, and MPs Altan Tan, Ahmet Yıldırım, Ertuğrul Kürkçü, Mehmet Ali Aslan, and Saadet Becerikli, accused of "resisting public duty," "insulting a public official due to their duty," and "insulting the president," will be held at Silvan Criminal Court of First Instance.
09:30 - The 11th hearing of the trial against İhsan Yaşar, İshak Yasul, Mehmet Ali Çelebi, Mizgin Fendik, Pınar Tarlak, Reyhan Hacıoğlu, and Hicran Urun, accused of various charges including "membership of an armed organization" under the "Özgürlükçü Demokrasi Davası," will be held at Istanbul 23rd Heavy Penal Court.
09:40 - The fifth hearing of the trial against 10 individuals arrested during the police intervention in the "2nd September Festival" in the 1 Mayıs neighborhood of Istanbul in 2022, accused of "violating Law No. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations" and "making terrorist propaganda," will be held at Istanbul 25th Heavy Penal Court.
09:45 - The ninth hearing of the trial against 38 individuals, including journalists Taylan Özgür Öztaş, Tunahan Turhan, and journalist Vedat Örüç represented by MLSA, accused of "violating Law No. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations," will be held at Anadolu 13th Criminal Court of First Instance.
09:50 - The first hearing of the defamation case filed by Istanbul Justice Commission President Bekir Altun against journalist Furkan Karabay, accused of "publicly insulting a public official due to their duty," will be held at Istanbul 51st Criminal Court of First Instance.
16:00 - The third hearing of the trial against journalists Haluk Kalafat and Elif Akgül, represented by MLSA, accused of "openly insulting the Turkish nation" due to their news about the "Armenian Genocide," will be held at Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance.
