Courts across Turkey are set to hear a series of high-profile cases between Sept. 8 and Sept. 13, with journalists, politicians, artists, lawyers, and academics facing prosecution over their public statements, social media posts, and press activities. The cases, which span multiple provinces and charges ranging from “terror propaganda” to “insulting the president,” are raising fresh concerns over freedom of expression in the country.
Monday, Sept. 8
At 11:55 a.m., the Ankara 86th Criminal Court of First Instance will review the pretrial detention of Enes Hocaoğulları, who was arrested for criticizing the police response to protests over Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu’s conviction.
At 10:10 a.m., Ercan Aktaş, represented by the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), will appear before the Istanbul 23rd High Criminal Court on charges of “terror organization propaganda.”
Tuesday, Sept. 9
At 10 a.m., Istanbul Bar Association President İbrahim Kaboğlu and 10 board members face charges of “terror propaganda” and “spreading misleading information” at the Istanbul 26th High Criminal Court. The hearing will be held at Courtroom No. 1 in the Silivri Prison Campus.
Also at 10 a.m., Necat Çiçek, a lawyer accused of “membership in a terrorist organization,” will appear before the Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court. The charges stem from his membership in the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD) and his participation in press statements.
At 10:10 a.m., journalist Can Dündar will be tried in absentia at the Istanbul 14th High Criminal Court on charges of “obtaining and disclosing state secrets for political or military espionage.” Dündar has lived in exile in Germany since 2016.
At 10:40 a.m., a hearing in the case against Erol Önderoğlu, Şebnem Korur Fincancı, and Ahmet Nesin for alleged “terror propaganda” will take place at the Istanbul 13th High Criminal Court.
At 11:35 a.m., journalist Furkan Karabay faces a civil lawsuit filed by Mustafa Doğan İnal, former lawyer of President Erdoğan. The hearing will be held at the Istanbul 33rd Civil Court of First Instance.
Wednesday, Sept. 10
At 9:13 a.m., seven individuals — İrfan Söner, Hanife Kardaş, Mehmet Bakır, Rıza Barut, Zelal Bilgin, Yusuf Acar, and Serhan Özdemir — will stand trial at the Diyarbakır 19th Criminal Court of First Instance over their role in organizing the 2021 Newroz celebrations, charged with violating Law No. 2911 on public assemblies.
At 9:40 a.m., artist Ferhat Tunç will appear before the Istanbul Büyükçekmece 4th Criminal Court of First Instance on charges of “inciting hatred and hostility” over his social media posts.
At 10 a.m., the second session of the trial against İbrahim Kaboğlu and his colleagues will continue at the Istanbul 26th High Criminal Court in Silivri.
At 11 a.m., Memet Kılıç, a German politician of Turkish origin, will appear in a case at the Ankara 36th Criminal Court of First Instance. Details of the charges have not been made public.
Thursday, Sept. 11
At 9:05 a.m., journalist Abdurrahman Gök will appear before the Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” and “terror propaganda,” based on his work with Mezopotamya Agency, social media posts, and book promotions.
At 9:20 a.m., Figen Yüksekdağ, former co-chair of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), and several former members of parliament will face charges of “resisting public officials,” “insulting a public official,” and “insulting the president” in a case at the Silvan Criminal Court of First Instance.
At 9:30 a.m., journalist Barış Pehlivan will face a civil lawsuit at the Ankara 23rd Civil Court of First Instance.
At 9:35 a.m., journalists Esra Solin Dal, Mehmet Aslan, and Erdoğan Alayumat will appear before the Istanbul 25th High Criminal Court, accused of “membership in a terrorist organization” due to their news reporting.
At 9:45 a.m., Ahmet Güneş will face similar charges in a separate hearing at the same court.
At 10 a.m., a second civil lawsuit filed by Mustafa Doğan İnal against Furkan Karabay — this time seeking 250,000 Turkish Lira in non-pecuniary damages — will be heard at the Istanbul 32nd Civil Court of First Instance.
At 10 a.m., prominent geologist Celal Şengör will stand trial at the Beykoz 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance over comments he made in a public interview: “I have never known a society as ignorant and morally bankrupt as the Turkish people.” Prosecutors are seeking up to two years in prison for “inciting hatred and hostility.”
At 11:25 a.m., musician and political activist Pınar Aydınlar will appear before the Istanbul 13th High Criminal Court on charges of “terror propaganda” and “membership in a terrorist organization,” as part of an ongoing investigation into the Peoples’ Democratic Congress (HDK).
At 2:20 p.m., the MLSA Legal Team has submitted an excuse for journalist Sibel Yükler's hearing at the Ankara 24th High Criminal Court. Details of the charges have not been disclosed.
Friday, Sept. 12
At 9:03 a.m., Ahmet Kanbal, a reporter for Mezopotamya Agency, will be tried at the Adıyaman 5th Criminal Court of First Instance over comments made during a live broadcast from Adıyaman following the devastating Feb. 6, 2023 earthquakes. He is charged with “spreading misleading information to the public.”
At 9:37 a.m., veteran journalist Hasan Cemal will face trial at the Istanbul 45th Criminal Court of First Instance. The charges have not been specified.
At 10 a.m., seven individuals arrested following a protest in Saraçhane marking the 100th day of Ekrem İmamoğlu's imprisonment will face trial at the Istanbul 19th Criminal Court of First Instance. They are accused of “insulting the president.”
At 1 p.m., Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu will face his first hearing in a new case at the Silivri Courthouse. He is charged with “repeatedly forging official documents.” The indictment seeks a sentence ranging from 2 years, 6 months to 8 years, 9 months. The hearing had originally been scheduled for Sept. 11 at the Istanbul 59th Criminal Court of First Instance.
At 2 p.m., 23 individuals detained in front of a courthouse while following the Ethem Sarısülük case will appear before the Ankara 57th Criminal Court of First Instance on charges of violating Law No. 2911 and resisting the police.
