At least 23 journalists and numerous citizens are scheduled to appear in court across Turkey this week, with charges largely tied to press freedom, protest activity, and political dissent. Among them is Ercüment Akdeniz, a journalist who has been in pretrial detention since Feb. 22, and whose second hearing is set for Thursday.
Monday, Oct. 20
At 10:40 a.m., the retrial of journalist İdris Yılmaz will be held at Erciş 1st Criminal Court of First Instance. Yılmaz is charged with “resisting law enforcement” and “insult,” and the case is being reconsidered following a ruling by the 1st Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation. The trial is being heard in Erciş via instructions from Istanbul’s 47th Criminal Court of First Instance. Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA) is providing legal representation.
Tuesday, Oct. 21
09:55 a.m. – Öznur Değer, news director of JINNEWS, will appear before the Mardin 2nd High Criminal Court. Değer was violently detained on Feb. 7 at her home in Kızıltepe, Mardin, and jailed the same day. The indictment uses her news reports and social media posts as evidence, accusing her of “repeatedly spreading terrorist propaganda.”
11:55 a.m. – Asuman Aranca, a reporter for the independent news site T24, faces charges of “violating confidentiality” in a news story she wrote about an expert report related to the high-profile murder of Sinan Ateş. Her hearing is scheduled at the Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance.
Wednesday, Oct. 22
10:00 a.m. – The trial of 23 individuals, including former ETHA editor İsminaz Temel, former reporter Havva Cuştan, and lawyers from the Law Office of the Oppressed, will continue at Istanbul’s 27th High Criminal Court. They are charged with “membership in a terrorist organization” and “spreading terrorist propaganda.”
10:00 a.m. – In Tatvan, Bitlis province, journalist Perihan Kaya is being tried at the Tatvan 1st Criminal Court of First Instance for “insult,” following a complaint by Mehmet Emin Geylani, former mayor of Tatvan. Geylani is accused of orchestrating an attack on Sinan Aygül, head of the Bitlis Journalists Association.
10:10 a.m. – The second hearing in the trial of Mesut Kızmaz, who allegedly verbally and physically assaulted Rûdaw TV Diyarbakır representative Maşallah Dekak and cameraman Mehmet Kanevi during news coverage, will take place at the Diyarbakır 19th Criminal Court of First Instance. Kızmaz faces charges of “threat” and “insult.”
11:20 a.m. – Executives from the left-wing newspaper BirGün—Chairman İbrahim Aydın, Publishing Coordinator Uğur Koç, and Editor-in-Chief Yaşar Gökdemir—will face charges of “targeting public officials involved in anti-terror efforts” and “publicly insulting a public official” over a news story titled ‘Akın Gürlek receives visitors from pro-government Sabah daily’. Their case will be heard at the Istanbul 23rd High Criminal Court.
Thursday, Oct. 23
10:30 a.m. – Ercüment Akdeniz, a journalist and former political figure, has been in detention since being arrested in an operation targeting the Peoples’ Democratic Congress (HDK). He is accused of “membership in a terrorist organization.” His trial will resume at the Istanbul 26th High Criminal Court.
11:10 a.m. – Journalists Ersin Çaksu and Aziz Oruç, the latter represented by MLSA, will appear at the Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance. They are charged with “publicly insulting the Turkish state, government, judiciary, military and police.”
12:35 p.m. – Ramazan Yurttapan, responsible editor of Demokratik Modernite magazine, and editor Haydar Ergül, will be tried for “insulting the president,” also at the Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance.
Friday, Oct. 24
09:30 a.m. – The trial of 49 individuals detained during protests following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu continues at the Istanbul 70th Criminal Court of First Instance. The defendants are charged with “participating in unauthorized demonstrations and refusing to disperse despite police warnings.” Additionally, 14 others remain in pretrial detention on separate charges of “insulting the president.”
10:00 a.m. – In Midyat, Mardin province, Öznur Değer of JINNEWS will again face court—this time accused of “insulting a public official” after reacting to gendered verbal abuse by a police officer while covering a women’s march during a condolence gathering for journalists killed in a drone strike. The trial will take place at the Midyat 1st Criminal Court of First Instance.
10:00 a.m. – Eight journalists arrested at their homes for covering the Saraçhane protests and detained for one day before release are on trial at Istanbul’s 62nd Criminal Court of First Instance. Defendants include journalists Yasin Akgül, Zeynep Kuray, Bülent Kılıç, Emre Orman, Kurtuluş Arı, Gökhan Kam, Hayri Tunç, and Ali Onur Tosun. All are accused of “unarmed participation in an unlawful demonstration and failure to disperse despite warnings.” The journalists are represented by MLSA.
10:00 a.m. – Seven people arrested over slogans chanted during a protest marking the 100th day of İmamoğlu’s detention will stand trial at the Istanbul 19th Criminal Court of First Instance. They face charges of “insulting the president.”
10:00 a.m. – In Ankara, the first hearing of a case against demonstrators arrested during protests over İmamoğlu’s detention will be heard at the Ankara 42nd Criminal Court of First Instance. The group is charged with violating Law No. 2911 on assemblies and demonstrations.
