The court has decided to continue the international travel ban on Akdeniz, and sent the case file to the prosecutor's office for its final opinion on the case to be filed

CANSU PİŞKİN, ISTANBUL

The third hearing in the trial of journalist Ercüment Akdeniz, who was imprisoned pending trial in February and released in July as part of the HDK investigation, on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” was held at the Istanbul 26th High Criminal Court on 10 February 2026.

Akdeniz and his lawyers were present at the hearing, which was monitored by P24.

Ali Deli, who was heard as a witness at the hearing, stated that he did not know Akdeniz personally, but knew him from the media. He said he had no information about Akdeniz being a member of an organization.

Akdeniz said he had nothing to say at this stage and would present his defense after the prosecutor’s final opinion on the case.

Akdeniz's lawyer, Özcan Karakoç, requested that the witness Adem Aslan, who was expected to testify at this hearing but was not present, not be heard, stating that his testimony would not contribute to the trial. Karakoç requested that the judicial control measure in the form of a ban on his client leaving the country be lifted and that the file be sent to the prosecutor's office for the preparation of the final opinion.

The court ruled to continue Akdeniz's travel ban abroad and decided to send the case file to the prosecutor's office for the preparation of the final opinion on the case. The trial was postponed until 2 June 2026.

Background of the case

As part of an İstanbul-based operation related to the Peoples' Democratic Congress (HDK), 50 people, including journalist Ercüment Akdeniz, were detained on 18 February 2025, during police raids on their homes. The prosecution claimed that Akdeniz and the other detained individuals “were active in the HDK structure in Istanbul.” Describing the HDK as a “front organization with a legal appearance,” the prosecutor's office claimed that the organization was an alternative parliament to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.

Akdeniz and the other 49 individuals held at the İstanbul Security Directorate were restricted from meeting with their lawyers for 24 hours, and a confidentiality order was imposed on the case file.

Akdeniz and the other 49 individuals were transferred to the Istanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan on 21 February, following a four-day detention period. Thirty individuals, including Akdeniz, were arrested and sent to prison.

Akdeniz was released at the second hearing of the case on 23 October 2025.