The journalists' lawyers have stated that they would appeal to the Court of Cassation and that they had prepared their defense. “The decision once again showed how strong the judiciary's reflex to punish journalists in the name of politics is,” lawyer Temur said

DENİZ NAZLIM, ANKARA

The Ankara Regional Court of Appeals 22nd Criminal Chamber has upheld the sentence of 6 years and 3 months in prison handed to journalists Diren Yurtsever, Selman Güzelyüz, Hakan Yalçın, Emrullah Acar, Zemo Ağgöz, Öznur Değer, and Deniz Nazlım for “membership in a terrorist organization,” on the grounds that “there was no fundamental error in the ruling.” The acquittal decisions for Habibe Eren, Ceylan Şahinli, and Mehmet Günhan has been also finalized

The Chamber overturned the verdict against Berivan Altan for “membership in a terrorist organization” on procedural grounds. The reason given for the overturning was that the verdict did not include the date of the crime or information about her detention, and that the verdict was handed down without establishing a connection between Altan and the case pending before the Mersin 2nd High Ctiminal Court for the same charge.

Reasons for the court to uphold the decision

The decision stated that the news reports, publications, digital materials, and correspondence in the case file were evaluated not individually but as a “comprehensive chain of evidence;” a conscientious opinion was reached through the discussion of witness statements, digital analyses, and publication content; the appeals were dismissed on the grounds that the evidence was legally valid and admissible; the defenses were not found credible; and the acceptance and application were deemed appropriate to the nature of the crime.

The Chamber found the acquittal rulings for Habibe Eren, Ceylan Şahinli, and Mehmet Günhan to be in accordance with the law, stating that there was no legally valid evidence to support the charges against the three journalists and that the reasoning of the court of first instance was legal and sufficient. The decision also reminded that the journalists have the right to file for compensation due to their detention between 25 and 28 October 2022.

The Chamber ruled that the international travel ban on Berivan Altan and the seven journalists whose sentences were upheld on the grounds of “strong suspicion of crime” should continue.

The decision was unanimous. An appeal may be filed with the Court of Cassation within two weeks of notification of the decision. The journalists' lawyers announced that they would appeal to the Court of Cassation and that they had prepared their defense.

The journalists' lawyer, Resul Temur, assessed the appeal decision as follows: "We can comfortably say that this was a decision process without any legal debate. In particular, the fact that the Ankara 4th High Criminal Court sent incomplete files to the court of appeal and that the court of appeal then made a quick decision after requesting the completion of the missing files shows that there was no legal debate. The decision showed us once again how strong the judiciary's reflex to punish journalists in the name of politics is, independent of political processes."

On the other hand, on 5 November 2025, the Ankara Regional Court Prosecutor's Office appealed the acquittal decisions issued by the 22nd Criminal Chamber regarding journalists Ceylan Şahin, Habibe Eren, and Mehmet Günhan, requesting that they be punished for the impugned crime.

Background of the case

As part of an Ankara-based investigation, Mezopotamya Agency (MA) reporters Diren Yurtsever, Berivan Altan, Selman Güzelyüz, Hakan Yalçın, Emrullah Acar, Ceylan Şahinli, Zemo Ağgöz, and Deniz Nazlım, along with JinNews reporters Habibe Eren and Öznur Değer, and MA's former intern Mehmet Günhan were detained on 29 October 2022.

Ağgöz was released under house arrest, while Günhan was released under judicial control. Nazlım, Altan, Güzelyüz, Yalçın, Acar, Şahinli, Eren, and Değer were imprisoned pending trial. The jailed journalists were released on 16 May 2023.

As a result of the trial, Altan, Güzelyüz, Yurtsever, Yalçın, Acar, Ağgöz, Nazlım, and Değer were each sentenced to 6 years and 3 months in prison on the charge of “membership in a terrorist organization.” Şahinli, Eren, and Günhan were acquitted.

The first-instance court's decision was later appealed.