EYLEM SONBAHAR
In the ongoing retrial of former executives and a journalist from the now-closed Taraf newspaper, the Istanbul Anadolu 2nd High Criminal Court has accepted a request from the Ministry of Defense to participate in the case. The trial involves Ahmet Altan, Yasemin Çongar, Yıldıray Oğur, and journalist Mehmet Baransu, who face allegations of improperly acquiring and disclosing documents related to national security.
During the fourth hearing, the defendants were not present, but their lawyers Çiğdem Koç, Figen Çalıkuşu, and Gülçin Avşar attended. A representative for the Ministry of Defense and three police officers also monitored the proceedings. The court stated that, following a decision to overturn previous rulings, it was necessary to take the defendants' statements again.
The debate in the courtroom also touched on the involvement of Ahmet Zeki Üçok and Hakan Büyük as complainants in the case, which Baransu's lawyer, Çiğdem Koç, contested, stating, "This file has nothing to do with the Sledgehammer case. No one other than the Ministry can be a complainant or participant in this case. There is an appellate court decision on this matter." Following this, the court agreed to Koç's request to remove the complainant and participant statuses related to them.
The court decided that the defendants should be present in the next session to make their defense statements, acknowledging the participation of the Ministry of Defense, and postponed the hearing to December 2, citing the expectation of additional documents.
