Aslı Aydemir, an academic and signatory of the “Academics for Peace” petition, has been released from pretrial detention after spending over six months in custody on charges related to her response to an attack on a satirical magazine.
Aydemir was arrested on July 4, 2024, after publicly criticizing a mob attack on LeMan, a prominent Turkish satirical magazine. Her release was announced on social media by fellow Academics for Peace, a group of scholars who have faced legal repercussions for opposing government military operations in Kurdish-majority regions.
“Aslı Aydemir, who was unlawfully held in prison for over six months for refusing to back down in the face of a mob that attacked LeMan, has been released,” read the statement.
Aydemir, who had been in custody for approximately 190 days, is being prosecuted on charges of “resisting a police officer” and “intentional injury.” Her first hearing is scheduled to take place on February 12 at 11 a.m.
Two indictments returned due to lack of evidence
The case has been marked by legal irregularities, including changes in the prosecutorial team and multiple rejected indictments. The first two indictments were returned to the prosecutor’s office by the court due to insufficient evidence and contradictory forensic reports.
In its rejection of the first indictment, the court noted a lack of concrete evidence supporting the charge of resisting a police officer. A second indictment, dated November 13, 2025, was also rejected for similar reasons. The prosecutor who had drafted both indictments was subsequently removed from the case.
A new prosecutor was appointed at the end of November 2025, but soon transferred the file to another prosecutor. The third indictment, filed on December 17, 2025, was accepted by the court.
Claims of injury with a cup deemed a "weapon"
According to the accepted indictment, Mustafa Ö., a deputy bureau chief in the Security Branch of the Istanbul Police Department, is listed as the complainant. The indictment alleges that Aydemir acted to obstruct a public official from performing his duty and injured the officer using a cup, described in the document as an object that could be considered a weapon.
The case file also includes a complaint filed by Aydemir against Mustafa Ö., indicating that both parties have filed mutual allegations.
