This week, trials concerning journalism and freedom of expression will continue, involving various charges.
Throughout the week, the MLSA Trial Monitoring Unit will share updates from the hearings in Turkish and English via @MLSADavaTakip.
November 25, Monday
09:00 – The 21st hearing of the trial against journalists Philip Pendlebury and Jake Hanrahan, who came to Diyarbakır in 2015 to film a documentary for the US-based Vice News and were arrested for “aiding and abetting a terrorist organization.” They were later deported. Their translator and guide are also on trial. The hearing will take place at Diyarbakır 8th High Criminal Court.
November 26, Tuesday
09:30 – The second hearing of journalist Nurcan Yalçın’s retrial on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” and “terrorist propaganda” will be held at Diyarbakır 9th High Criminal Court. A separate case against Yalçın for “violating the Law on the Prevention of the Financing of Terrorism” was merged into this case in August due to factual and legal connections.
09:50 – The fifth hearing of a 10,000 TL non-pecuniary damages lawsuit against journalist Barış Pehlivan. The lawsuit, filed by Deputy Minister of National Defense Alpaslan Kavaklıoğlu, concerns Pehlivan’s articles about the Deputy Ministers of Defense. The case will be heard at Ankara 23rd Civil Court of First Instance.
12:20 – The 11th hearing of a trial against 38 individuals, including journalists Taylan Özgür Öztaş, Tunahan Turhan, and MLSA-supported journalist Vedat Örüç, for “violating the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations” will take place at Istanbul Anadolu 76th Criminal Court of First Instance.
14:30 – The first hearing of a defamation case filed against journalist İsmail Arı and BirGün website's editor Yaşar Gökdemir over a report titled "Data erased on the orders of an MHP MP in Northern Cyprus." Ece Uysal, wife of MHP Mersin MP Levent Uysal, filed the lawsuit. The hearing will be at Istanbul's 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance.
November 27, Wednesday
10:10 – The third hearing of a lawsuit filed by journalist Sibel Yükler against the Ministry of Treasury and Finance for restricting her freedom with judicial control orders and confiscating her electronic devices. The case will be heard at Ankara 24th High Criminal Court.
November 28, Thursday
09:00 – The first hearing of a trial against former Diyarbakır Bar Association President Nahit Eren and the executive board members from 2021, accused under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code for “insulting the Turkish Nation, the Turkish State, and its institutions” over a social media post commemorating the Armenian Genocide. The hearing will be at Diyarbakır 2nd High Criminal Court.
10:05 – The 14th hearing of artist Ferhat Tunç’s trial on “membership in a terrorist organization” and “terrorist propaganda” will be held at Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court.
10:10 – The second hearing of a trial against Adnan Vural, a former member of the Human Rights Association’s Central Executive Board, accused of “membership in a terrorist organization” and “terrorist propaganda” for attending a press statement by the White Flag Initiative in 2016. The case will be heard at Ankara 2nd High Criminal Court.
11:00 – The fourth hearing of journalist Rojda Oğuz’s trial under the “censorship law” for her social media post claiming that police confiscated aid sent by HDP to the earthquake zone. The hearing will be at Bakırköy 19th Criminal Court of First Instance.
11:30 – The trial of journalist Faruk Arhan, supported by MLSA, in a 50,000 TL non-pecuniary damages lawsuit filed by former AKP MP Zehra Taşkesenlioğlu. The hearing will take place at Gölbaşı 1st Civil Court of First Instance.
13:30 – The fourth hearing of sociologist and writer Veli Saçılık’s trial under the “censorship law” for social media posts about the February 6 earthquakes. The case will be heard at Ankara 10th Criminal Court of First Instance.
14:00 – The 10th hearing of a defamation case against journalists Barış Terkoğlu, Barış Pehlivan, and others for their book Metastaz 2: Cendere and related media coverage. The trial will take place at Istanbul's 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance.
November 29, Friday
11:40 – The third hearing of a damages lawsuit against Murat Şevki Çoban, former editor of the now-closed Taraf newspaper, and another defendant for “attacking personal rights through the press.” The hearing will be at Tatvan 3rd Civil Court of First Instance.
