The case filed against journalist Fırat Fıstık for “spreading false information” over a news report stating that “the Ministry is purchasing goods from Israel” has been adjourned until 12 November

TANSU PİŞKİN, ISTANBUL

The trial of journalist Fırat Fıstık, who faces charges of “spreading false information” following a complaint by the Ministry of National Defense, resumed at the Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance on 22 September 2026.

Fıstık and his lawyers did not attend the hearing, which was covered by P24, citing a valid reason for their absence.

The court, having accepted the reason for their absence, adjourned the case until 12 November 2026.

Background of the case

Fırat Fıstık is on trial on charges of “spreading false information” over a news article titled “Ministry purchases goods from Israel,” published in Sözcü daily on 14 November 2024.

In Fıstık’s article, it was stated that the General Directorate of Factories in Ankara, under the Ministry of National Defense, had made a purchase on 19 September 2024 for coolant for F-4 aircraft; that it had been announced on the Ministry’s website that the coolant, coded S0123, would be sourced from Elbit Systems, a company based in Haifa, Israel; and that Turkish companies had applied to the Ministry prior to the purchase but had received negative responses to their applications. The report also covered claims that trade with Israel was being conducted through private firms, allegations of oil shipments to Israel, and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s statement regarding the severing of relations with Israel.

On 14 November 2024, the General Directorate of Legal Services of the Ministry of National Defense filed a criminal complaint regarding the report with the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. As the headquarters of the Sözcü’s news site is located outside the jurisdiction of the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, the case was referred to the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office following a decision on lack of jurisdiction.

In the indictment filed on 19 February 2025 concerning the case, it was alleged that the headline and content of the news article were “intended to create a perception contrary to the truth regarding the country’s internal and external security and public order.” The prosecution argued that the statements in the news report were “capable of disrupting public peace” and stated that there was sufficient grounds for suspicion to warrant the initiation of a public prosecution against Fıstık for the offense of “spreading false information.