An Istanbul court has handed prison terms on the journalists, who were on retrial upon a decision by the Court of Cassation. The decision was unanimous

The second hearing in the retrial of journalists Ahmet Altan and Nazlı Ilıcak on charges of “aiding a terrorist organization without being a member” following the Court of Cassation’s decision to overturn their convictions, was held at the Istanbul 26th High Criminal Court on 12 March 2026.

Ilıcak and the defendants' lawyers were present at the hearing, while Altan did not attend. P24 monitored the hearing.

The prosecutor, reiterating their final opinion on the case they presented at the first hearing on 27 January 2026, requested that Altan and Ilıcak be sentenced separately for the impugned crime.

Ilıcak, presenting her defense against the prosecutor’s opinion, claimed she was innocent and requested acquittal. Ilıcak said, “First of all, I request that you acquit me or, if you disagree, give me a sentence that will not cause me to return to prison.”

Altan’s lawyer, Figen Albuga Çalıkuşu, in her statement opposing the prosecutor’s opinion, said, “The 2021 ruling by the European Court of Human Rights regarding my client states that the rights to freedom of expression and personal security and liberty have been violated. My client must be acquitted in accordance with the decisions of the Supreme Court and the ECHR. The elements of the crime attributed to my client have not been established in this case,” requesting an acquittal.

When asked for her final statement, Nazlı Ilıcak said, “I believe I am innocent and I request my acquittal.”

The court sentenced Ilıcak to 3 years and 9 months and Altan to 4 years and 6 months in prison for the impugned crime. The decision was unanimous.

Background of the case

Novelist and journalist Ahmet Altan, his brother, columnist and professor of economics Mehmet Altan, journalist Nazlı Ilıcak, former Zaman staffers Fevzi Yazıcı and Yakup Şimşek and former Police Academy lecturer Şükrü Tuğrul Özşengül were each sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment on the charge of “attempting to overthrow the constitutional order” in February 2018. The indictment alleged that all six had prior knowledge of the failed coup attempt of 15 July 2016.

At the end of their retrial, ordered by the 16th Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation, the Istanbul 26th High Criminal Court acquitted Mehmet Altan but convicted Ahmet Altan and Nazlı Ilıcak of “aiding a terrorist organization without being its member” and ordering their release pending appeal. Accordingly, Ahmet Altan and Nazlı Ilıcak were released from prison on 4 November 2019 after spending more than three years in detention on remand as part of the case.

However, eight days later, Ahmet Altan was rearrested at the request of the prosecutor who objected to Altan’s release.

Altan and Ilıcak’s co-defendants Yazıcı, Şimşek and Özşengül were convicted of “membership in a terrorist organization” at the retrial. They were each given prison sentences above 10 years and ordered to remain in behind bars. The Anadolu Agancy report did not include information on the Court of Cassation’s decision concerning Yazıcı, Şimşek and Özşengül's sentences.

The Court of Cassation Prosecutor's Office requested on 29 April 2021 that the decision of the 16th Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation dated 14 April 2021 be overturned and reversed with respect to Yazıcı, Şimşek, and Özşengül, and that the case was referred to the Criminal General Assembly of the Court of Cassation.

The convictions of Özşengül, Yazıcı, and Şimşek were overturned by the Court of Cassation Criminal General Assembly's decision dated 8 December 2022, and the case was sent back to the Istanbul 26th High Criminal Court, the court of first instance, for retrial. In accordance with the overturning ruling, the Istanbul 26th High Penal Court, which issued a hearing record on 2 March 2023 for retrial, decided to release Özşengül, who had died in prison as a result of a heart attack, and separated his file.

The third hearing in the retrial of Ahmet Altan, Nazlı Ilıcak, Fevzi Yazıcı, the former visual director of the now-closed Zaman newspaper, and Yakup Şimşek, the newspaper's brand marketing director, whose sentences were overturned by the Court of Cassation, was held on 14 February 2024, at the Istanbul 26th High Criminal Court.

The court sentenced Nazlı Ilıcak to 5 years and 3 months, Ahmet Altan to 6 years, 3 months, and 18 days, and Fevzi Yazıcı to 1 year and 13 months in prison on charges of “aiding an illegal organization without being a member.” The court decided to continue judicial control measures for Ilıcak and Altan, but lifted the ban on Yazıcı leaving the country, taking into account the length of the sentence; the time the defendant spent under judicial control; and the time spent in detention. The court acquitted Yakup Şimşek because no conclusive and convincing evidence was found that he had committed the impugned crime of “membership in a terrorist organization.”

In its review on 10 September 2025, the 3rd Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation upheld the verdict against Fevzi Yazıcı but overturned the verdicts against Altan and Ilıcak. The Chamber also decided to lift the ban on Altan traveling abroad. The case was sent back to the Istanbul 26th High Criminal Court, the court of first instance, for retrial. The court, which issued a hearing order on 15 October 2025, for the retrial, set the hearing date for 27 January. The court ruled that Nazlı Ilıcak's international travel ban should continue.