July 2026 Highlights

July's headline developments came from MLSA's Legal Unit and its strategic litigation work. MLSA filed a Constitutional Court application on behalf of detained journalist Pınar Gayıp and submitted a Rule 9.2 communication to the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers concerning the Osman Kavala and Selahattin Demirtaş cases. MLSA also monitored 16 freedom-of-expression trials involving at least 141 defendants as courts headed into the summer judicial recess, with most proceedings adjourned to the autumn.

Constitutional Court Application for Pınar Gayıp

MLSA's Legal Unit filed an individual application with Turkey's Constitutional Court on behalf of journalist Pınar Gayıp, who has been detained since February. The application argues that the indictment against her is based on her journalistic activities and that her continued detention violates her rights to personal liberty, freedom of expression and freedom of the press. Read more →

In a letter sent from prison, Gayıp said that it was her journalism that was being put on trial and reaffirmed that she would continue practising journalism. Read more →

MLSA's Legal Unit also monitored the proceedings in journalist İdris Yılmaz's case as the trial reached its conclusion during the reporting period.

It is my journalism that is on trial. I will continue to practise journalism.

Pınar Gayıp, journalist detained since February, in a letter sent from prison

16 Cases, 141 Defendants — and a Month of Adjournments

During July, MLSA monitored 16 cases involving at least 141 defendants, including 31 journalists and media workers. The monitored proceedings included individual cases as well as mass trials involving 66 people in the Saraçhane case, 26 defendants in the ETHA case, 19 journalists in the Diyarbakır case and 15 defendants prosecuted in connection with the Boğaziçi University protests.

The charges included alleged membership in or propaganda for an organisation, violations of Turkey's Law on Assemblies and Demonstrations, insulting the president, insulting a public official, incitement and disseminating misleading information. Journalistic content, reporting activity, social media posts and participation in public assemblies continued to be presented as evidence in the monitored cases.

Fair-trial concerns were again visible in courtroom practice. Hearings frequently started later than scheduled, while inadequate courtroom capacity, restrictions on observers and technical failures affected access to proceedings. In the Hakan Tosun case, a request for a larger courtroom was denied and technical problems in the overflow room prevented observers from following the hearing properly. Journalists and observers were also kept outside the courtroom under police presence for approximately 45 minutes before being allowed inside.

In the ETHA case, observers were not allowed into the courtroom, while P24 observer Tansu Pişkin was reportedly threatened by security personnel who attempted to record her identification details. In the Ekrem İmamoğlu case in Silivri, courtroom capacity again fell short of demand.

Of the 16 monitored cases, 13 were adjourned, with most new hearing dates scheduled between September and December following the start of the judicial recess on July 20. The completed proceedings resulted in one acquittal and two convictions. All 66 defendants, including journalist Zişan Gür, were acquitted in the Saraçhane case, while comedian Tuba Ulu received a five-month prison sentence for “inciting hatred and hostility” over a joke concerning Ottoman history. Read more →

July at a Glance

MLSA Submits Rule 9.2 Communication in the Kavala and Demirtaş Cases

One of MLSA's key legal interventions in July was the submission of a Rule 9.2 communication to the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers concerning the Osman Kavala and Selahattin Demirtaş cases. The Committee of Ministers is responsible for supervising the implementation of judgments delivered by the European Court of Human Rights.

The communication addressed Turkey's continued failure to implement the Court's binding judgments and secure the applicants' release. MLSA underlined that prolonged non-compliance raises broader concerns about personal liberty, judicial independence, the rule of law and the effectiveness of the European human rights system. Read more →

The European Court of Human Rights' Grand Chamber is also expected to announce its ruling in the Kavala case during a public hearing in Strasbourg on August 25. The ruling is expected to have significant implications for the enforcement of the Court's judgments and Turkey's obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights. Read more →

A Year of Saraçhane Trials, in Numbers

MLSA published a special review of Saraçhane-related trials conducted during the 2025–2026 judicial year. Across 10 cases involving journalists, lawyers, students and other defendants, courts acquitted 542 people in total. In only one of the ten cases did the court order a criminal complaint to be filed concerning allegations of torture and ill-treatment. Read more →

MLSA's Report on Insult Cases Presented on İlke TV

MLSA Trial Monitoring Coordinator Semra Pelek appeared on İlke TV in July to present the findings of MLSA's report on insult prosecutions, which was published at the end of June. The report examines how criminal insult provisions are used against journalists, media workers and others engaged in public-interest expression.

According to the report, journalists and media workers were targeted in 62 percent of the prosecutions examined. Pelek discussed the report's findings and the wider chilling effect created by criminal cases based on reporting, criticism and public commentary. Read more →