- Journalist Zafer Arapkirli appeared before a judge on charges of “inciting the public to hatred and hostility” and “spreading misleading information” due to a post in which he condemned massacres targeting Alevi villages in Syria. Arapkirli said, “I condemned the massacre, how could I be inciting?”
- The hearing started about two hours later than the scheduled time. The court, which heard 41 files on the same day, made a call to keep defense statements short.
MLSA – The first hearing of the case in which journalist Zafer Arapkirli is being tried on the charges of “inciting the public to hatred and hostility” and “publicly spreading misleading information” due to a post he made on social media platform X was held today at Istanbul 23rd Criminal Court of First Instance.
Court warns: “Don’t prolong defense statements”
The hearing, which was supposed to start at 11:45 a.m., began at 1:30 p.m. due to the intensity at the courthouse. The court panel, stating that 41 files were being handled on the same day, called on lawyers “not to prolong defense statements.”
After identification, the charges in the indictment were read. Arapkirli, who is on trial due to his assessments on X platform (formerly known as Twitter) about attacks on Alevi villages in Syria, began his defense by saying, “I don’t want to take too much of your time,” and stated that he has constantly been on trial recently due to his journalism:
“I was a journalist who, until a few years ago, had never had a lawsuit filed against him, had not seen the doors of a courthouse, and had no tax or traffic fines. Now, I can’t get out of the courthouse. When you look at the indictments, you see that they were prepared with political motives and contain forced accusations. There are three dominant charges of the recent period: insulting the president, inciting the public to hatred and hostility, and disinformation. I’ve got all three as a ‘full package’.”
“Condemning massacres is not a crime”
Arapkirli emphasized that the post subject to the trial clearly aimed to condemn massacres that occurred in the past:
“These words are clear for everyone whose mother tongue is Turkish. What is happening in Syria today is a condemnation of ethnic, religious, and sectarian massacres that took place in Çorum, Maraş, and Sivas in the past. Those who commit these massacres are the ones inciting the public to hatred and hostility. How do I incite by condemning these massacres? Moreover, the accusation directed at me is ‘spreading misleading information.’ But these massacres are documented, real events. The purpose of these indictments is to silence and intimidate independent journalists like me. We endure this, and if necessary, we will serve time. If the death penalty returns, we would even stretch our necks for the rope.”
Arapkirli also expressed his sorrow over the country’s decline in freedom of expression and rule of law indexes and addressed the judge as follows:
“I say this while excluding your person: Don’t do this. Don’t. Don’t do this evil to this country. As a legal professional, do not be a part of these actions.”
His lawyer: “This case is an absurdity”
Arapkirli’s lawyer, Kemal Aytaç, emphasized that his client’s post falls within the scope of freedom of expression and said,
“The indictment is entirely composed of interpretation. There is no criminal element in this post. The mere filing of this case is an absurdity. We request that a verdict of acquittal be issued for our client.”
The court postponed the hearing to February 26, 2026, at 1:50 p.m. to allow the prosecutor to prepare their final opinion on the merits.
