This week, many trials in which journalists and legal professionals are being prosecuted will be held. In the hearings to be held in Diyarbakır, Istanbul, Ankara and Bitlis, freedom of expression, press statements, and the right to defense will once again come before the judiciary.
May 27, Tuesday
09:30 – The hearing of the trial in which journalist Yelda Çiçek is being prosecuted for “violating the Law No. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations,” after being detained while covering protests against trustee appointments in Diyarbakır in 2019, will be held at the Diyarbakır 4th Criminal Court of First Instance. The Constitutional Court had previously ruled that the deferred sentence (HAGB) violated the right to a fair trial.
10:00 – The seventh hearing of the trial in which journalist Erdoğan Kayra Kocagil, whose legal representation is undertaken by MLSA, is being prosecuted for violating Law No. 2911, will be held at the Istanbul 27th Criminal Court of First Instance.
11:20 – The second hearing of the trial in which journalists Gülistan Dursun, Hayri Tunç, Enes Sezgin, Osman Akın, Can Papila, Pınar Gayıp, Serpil Ünal, and politicians Hacı Ugiş and İmam Şenol are being prosecuted for “making propaganda for a terrorist organization” on the grounds that they attended the commemoration held on December 21, 2024, for journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin, who were killed while reporting in Syria, will be held at the Istanbul 24th High Criminal Court.
11:30 – The first hearing of the trial in which journalist Furkan Karabay is being prosecuted for “targeting persons who have taken part in the fight against terrorism,” “insult,” and “publicly spreading misleading information,” based on news and posts regarding the investigation process about Esenyurt Mayor Ahmet Özer, will be held at the Istanbul 22nd High Criminal Court. Karabay, who was arrested on November 9, 2024, was released on November 18. On May 15, 2025, he was re-arrested as part of another investigation.
May 28, Wednesday
10:00 – The hearing of the trial in which journalist Perihan Kaya is being prosecuted for “Insult with an Audio, Written, or Visual Message” following a complaint by former Tatvan Mayor Mehmet Emin Geylani, will be held at the Tatvan 1st Criminal Court of First Instance. Kaya’s critical social media post was listed as criminal evidence in the indictment.
10:10 – The third hearing of the trial in which journalists Dinçer Gökçe, Nilay Can, Veysi Dündar, and lawyer İrem Çiçek are being prosecuted for “publicly spreading misleading information” because of news stories about the removal of the prosecutor who brought down the Yenidoğan gang, will be held at the Istanbul Bakırköy 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance.
May 28, Wednesday
10:00 – The hearing of the trial in which Istanbul Bar Association President İbrahim Kaboğlu and 10 board members are being prosecuted for “making propaganda for a terrorist organization” and “publicly spreading misleading information,” will be held at the Marmara Prison Campus Courtroom No. 1. The reason for the case was a statement about the journalists killed in Syria, which was posted from the Bar Association’s account on December 21, 2024.
May 29, Thursday
09:30 – The hearing of the trial of 23 people who were detained on the anniversary of the Suruç Massacre, who are being prosecuted for “violating Law No. 2911” and “resisting a public official to prevent the performance of duty,” will be held at the Ankara 68th Criminal Court of First Instance.
09:50 – The hearing of the trial in which lawyer Necat Çiçek is being prosecuted for “membership in an organization” will be held at the Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court. Çiçek is accused due to his ÖHD membership and participation in press statements.
10:00 – In the same case file, the hearing of the trial in which lawyer Adile Salman is being prosecuted for “membership in an organization” will also be held at the Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court. Salman’s professional activities were listed as criminal evidence in the indictment.
10:00 – The first hearing of the trial in which journalist Vedat Örüç, whose legal representation is undertaken by MLSA, is being prosecuted for membership in an organization, will be held at the Mersin 6th High Criminal Court.
12:00 – The second hearing of the trial in which journalist Pınar Gayıp is being prosecuted for “insult with an audio, written, or visual message” and “disclosing images and audio related to private life,” on the grounds that she used the word “harasser” for lawyer Sezgin Keleş in her news reports and published Keleş’s photograph, will be held at the Istanbul Anadolu 39th Criminal Court of First Instance.
14:00 – The hearing of the trial in which lawyer Fırat Epözdemir is being prosecuted for “membership in an organization” will be held at the Istanbul 24th High Criminal Court. Epözdemir has been held in pretrial detention since January 25. The Human Rights Defenders Solidarity Network has stated that the trial is unlawful and called for an end to his detention.
