Sevda Aydın
A High Criminal Court in the western Turkish city of İzmir has sentenced journalist Delal Akyüz to 6 years and 3 months in prison on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization,” while acquitting two other journalists in the same case due to lack of evidence.
The trial was held at the İzmir 13th High Criminal Court. Akyüz, who did not attend the hearing, was represented by the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), a legal advocacy group that provides support for press freedom cases in Turkey. In the same case, Mezopotamya Agency (MA) reporter Tolga Güney and JINNEWS reporter Melike Aydın were acquitted after the court ruled that there was insufficient evidence to support the allegations against them.
The journalists had been detained on Feb. 13, 2024, alongside Gazete Duvar reporter Cihan Başakçıoğlu, MA reporter Semra Turan, and Fatma Funda Akbulut, a press worker for the pro-Kurdish DEM Party. Akyüz was later placed under house arrest.
Aydın was the first of the three journalists to appear before the court. Charged with “membership in a terrorist organization,” Aydın stated in her defense, “Journalism is not a crime. I demand my acquittal.” Her lawyer, Şükran Öztürk, argued that the prosecution’s opinion lacked legal reasoning and that there was no evidence of criminal activity. The court acquitted Aydın, citing a lack of evidence.
Later that day, the court heard the case against MA reporter Tolga Güney, who did not attend the hearing. The prosecutor reiterated a previous opinion requesting conviction. Güney’s lawyer, Fatma Demirer, said the case file lacked any concrete evidence and that witness statements did not support the charges. The court also acquitted Güney on grounds of insufficient evidence.
Akyüz’s trial was held in the afternoon. His lawyer, Hazal Sümeli, repeated the previously submitted defense statement, stressing that neither the witness testimonies nor the rest of the evidence in the file pointed to any criminal activity. The defense requested his acquittal.
Despite the request, the court found Delal Akyüz guilty of “membership in a terrorist organization” and sentenced him to 6 years and 3 months in prison.
