Rabia Çetin
An Istanbul court has lifted international travel bans imposed on nine individuals, including seven journalists, who are on trial for attempting to hold a press statement in memory of two Kurdish journalists killed in Syria. The case, which has drawn attention from press freedom advocates, is seen as part of broader concerns over restrictions on journalism and protest in Turkey.
The fourth hearing of the case was held at the Istanbul 24th High Criminal Court, where the nine defendants face charges of “making terrorist propaganda” and “participating in an unlawful assembly without arms and refusing to disperse despite warnings.” The charges stem from a press statement they attempted to hold in Şişhane, a central neighborhood of Istanbul, on Dec. 21, 2024, to commemorate Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin, two journalists who were killed while reporting in Syria on Dec. 19, 2024.
The court ruled to lift the foreign travel bans on all nine defendants. The next hearing was scheduled for Nov. 4 at 11:30 a.m.
Defense says no propaganda or unlawful protest occurred
Those on trial include journalists Hayri Tunç, Gülistan Dursun, Pınar Gayıp, Serpil Ünal, Can Papila, Muhammet Enes Sezgin, and Osman Akın. Two other individuals also face the same charges. Defense lawyers argued that their clients were exercising their right to free expression and peaceful assembly.
During the hearing, the prosecutor repeated the opinion submitted in the previous session, requesting convictions for all defendants under charges of propaganda and violating Turkey’s Law No. 2911 on public demonstrations.
In response, defense lawyers stated that during the December 21 gathering, their clients were surrounded by police and held in place for hours before making any statement. They emphasized that no slogans were chanted and that the elements of the alleged crimes were not met.
Lawyers also pointed out that neither the journalists nor the political figures involved had been officially notified of any ban on the gathering. They argued that the group was blocked by police before a press statement could even be made, and that the defendants were therefore not in violation of the law on public assemblies.
Killed journalists had no criminal convictions, say lawyers
Defense attorneys also criticized what they described as a violation of the presumption of innocence concerning Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin. They told the court that there were no final convictions against either journalist for alleged membership in a terrorist organization. Carrying photos of the slain journalists during a memorial event, the lawyers argued, could not be interpreted as terrorist propaganda.
