This week, various journalism and freedom of expression trials will continue to be held on different charges.
Throughout the week, the MLSA Case Monitoring Unit will share developments from the hearings in Turkish and English on @MLSADavaTakip.
October 1, Tuesday
09:25 AM – The trial of lawyer Süleyman Şahin, who was indicted on the charge of “membership in an organization” based on the statements of the confessor Ümit Akbıyık, which led to the detention of many, including politicians, journalists, and artists in Diyarbakır, will continue. The third case hearing will be held at Diyarbakır 5th Heavy Criminal Court.
10:20 AM – The third hearing of the case against journalist Furkan Karabay, who was charged for reporting on the minutes of the trial involving Barış Saral, will take place at Istanbul 24th Heavy Criminal Court. Karabay, who was detained for 11 days, is being tried on charges of “targeting individuals who participated in the fight against terrorism” and “publicly insulting a public official.”
12:00 PM – The second hearing of the case against journalist Rüstem Batum, who is being prosecuted for “insulting the president” due to a post he made on Twitter (now the X platform), will take place at Istanbul 60th Criminal Court of First Instance.
October 2, Wednesday
11:55 AM – The 24th session of the trial against conscientious objector Ercan Aktaş, who is charged with “discouraging the public from military service” and “propagating for an organization” based on his social media posts, will be held at Bakırköy 2nd Heavy Criminal Court.
October 3, Thursday
09:05 AM – The trials of lawyers Gurbet Özbey Öner, Serhat Hezer, Necat Çiçek, and Adile Salman, who were indicted on the charge of “membership in an organization” based on the statements of confessor Ümit Akbıyık, will be heard separately on the same day at Diyarbakır 5th Heavy Criminal Court.
10:30 AM – The fifth hearing of the case against the prosecutor who prepared the indictment against 18 journalists in Diyarbakır, accused of “targeting” due to the sharing of a search warrant by former Diyarbakır Bar President Mehmet Emin Aktar, will take place at Diyarbakır 5th Heavy Criminal Court.
10:35 AM – The first hearing of the case against Furkan Karabay, charged with “insulting the president” based on posts he made during the earthquake, will be held at Istanbul 74th Criminal Court of First Instance.
02:55 PM – The 32nd hearing of the KCK Press trial, where a total of 46 journalists and media workers are being prosecuted on terrorism charges, will take place at Istanbul's 3rd Heavy Criminal Court. Defendants, including journalist Dilek Demiral, for whom MLSA provides legal defense, have been on trial for 12 years in this case.
October 4, Friday
10:00 AM – The fifth hearing of the case opened against 20 relatives of the disappeared for “violating the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations” due to the 950th-week gathering of the Saturday Mothers/People will be held at Istanbul 39th Criminal Court of First Instance.
10:00 AM – The eighth hearing of the case against 70 individuals who were tortured and detained for participating in the 9th Bosphorus Pride March, charged with “violating the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations,” will take place at Istanbul 58th Criminal Court of First Instance.
10:35 AM – The eighth hearing of the case against journalist Baransel Ağca, charged with “inciting hatred and hostility or degrading the public,” will be held at Istanbul 43rd Criminal Court of First Instance.
