The trial date for the appeal against the prison sentence of Sinan Aygül, the President of the Bitlis Journalists Association, has been set for May 8. Aygül was previously sentenced to two months and five days in prison for allegedly insulting individuals who attacked him. His request for the recusal of the judge was denied.
On June 17, 2023, Aygül was assaulted by Emin Geylani, former Mayor of Tatvan, along with Geylani's police bodyguard, Engin Kaplan, and boxer bodyguard, Yücel Baysali. Following the assault, Aygül was accused of insulting his attackers and was sentenced in a trial conducted through "Simple Trial Procedure," which does not require an in-person hearing.
Aygül's lawyers appealed the decision and also requested the recusal of the judge, arguing that the judge had lost impartiality. However, this request was rejected by the Tatvan 1st High Criminal Court, stating that the conditions for recusal were not met.
The appeal of the sentence given under the Simple Trial Procedure prompted the Tatvan 1st Criminal Court of First Instance to schedule a hearing, which will be held on May 8 at 11:00 AM at the Tatvan Courthouse.
Diyar Orak, Aygül’s attorney, criticized the original sentence as forced and pointed out that the court had incorrectly determined the date of the incident. Orak argued that this mistake had facilitated the wrongful application of the penal code, specifically avoiding the application of more favorable legal provisions that should have been considered. He expressed concerns about the impartiality of the court, suggesting that the case should not have been opened in the first place due to legal technicalities and implied that there might be a bias against Aygül based on his identity and preconceived notions against him.
