A Turkish court has dismissed the case against 17 people, including journalists Eylem Sonbahar, Sema Karakurt, and Metin Cihan, who were detained while covering protests during the 2015 G20 Summit in the southern coastal city of Antalya.
The trial, held at the Antalya 25th Criminal Court of First Instance, involved charges of “resisting to prevent a public official from performing their duty” for all 17 defendants and additional “insult” charges for four individuals. The charges stemmed from a protest held on November 15, 2015, during the G20 Leaders’ Summit.
Journalists Metin Cihan, Eylem Sonbahar, and Sema Karakurt were detained while reporting on the demonstration. Cihan was covering the protest independently, while Sonbahar and Karakurt were being represented by the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA). None of the defendants were present for the 23rd hearing, though some of their lawyers attended.
Presenting its opinion on the merits of the case, the prosecution stated: “It is understood that the 8-year statutory limitation period provided under Articles 66/1-e and 67/3-4 of the Turkish Penal Code No. 5237 has expired between the date of the alleged offense and the date of the ruling,” and requested that the case be dismissed for each defendant individually.
The court agreed, ruling to drop the charges on the grounds that the 8-year statute of limitations had elapsed.
