The court has sentenced Erdoğan Alayumat to 1 year and 3 months in prison for "terrorism propaganda," and deferred the sentence

The seventh hearing in the case filed against journalists Esra Solin Dal, Mehmet Aslan and Erdoğan Alayumat, who are charged with “membership in a terrorist organization” was held at the Istanbul 25th High Criminal Court on 9 June 2026.

The journalists did not attend the hearing, but their lawyers were present. P24 monitored the hearing.

Erdoğan Alayumat’s lawyer, Hazal Sümeli, stated that her client’s journalistic activities were being presented as grounds for the charges in the case file.

Ayşe Özdemir, the lawyer for Esra Solin Dal, also stated in her defense that her client’s professional activities were cited as the basis for the charges against her.

Habat Demircan, the lawyer for Mehmet Aslan, argued in his defense, “The elements of the offense of membership in a terrorist organization have not been established. There is no definitive and concrete evidence regarding membership in the case file. The scope of the case is entirely related to journalistic activities,” and requested an acquittal.

The court, which ruled to acquit Esra Solin Dal and Mehmet Aslan, sentenced Erdoğan Alayumat to 1 year and 3 months in prison on charges of “terrorism propaganda.” The sentence was deferred.

In their final opinion on the case delivered at the hearing on 7 April 2026, the prosecutor had sought the conviction of Esra Solin Dal, Mehmet Aslan and Erdoğan Alayumat on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” levelled against them. In the closing statement, the content of numerous news reports produced by the journalists whilst working for the Mezopotamya Agency (MA) was cited as evidence, and it was alleged that the defendants’ social media posts were of a nature that praised and legitimized the organization.

Erdoğan Alayumat’s lawyer, Hazal Sümeli, before beginning her statement in response to the prosecution’s opinion, requested that the cases be merged, noting that her client was being tried on similar charges at the Istanbul 13th High Criminal Court. The presiding judge stated that they would consider the request alongside the ruling and asked Sümeli to continue her statement.

Sümeli, noting that Alayumat’s journalistic activities were presented as the subject of the charges in the case file, said: “The Mezopotamya Agency, for which my client produced news reports, is an official agency and is still actively publishing. In the Constitutional Court’s ruling directly concerning MA, it was stated that the views of the publishing organization do not bind its employees. The news reports in question fall within the scope of freedom of expression.”

Ayşe Özdemir, the lawyer for Esra Solin Dal, also stated in her statement that the charges against her client were based on her professional activities: “All the news reports produced fall within the scope of press and freedom of expression. The elements of membership in a terrorist organization have not been established. We are seeking an acquittal.”

Habat Demircan, the lawyer for Mehmet Aslan, stated in his defense, “The elements of the impugned crime have not been established. There is no definitive and concrete evidence regarding membership in the case file. The scope of the case file is entirely journalistic activity,” and requested an acquittal.

The court rejected the request for merger made by Alayumat’s lawyer. The court ruled to acquit Esra Solin Dal and Mehmet Aslan, whilst sentencing Erdoğan Alayumat to 1 year and 3 months in prison for the crime of “terrorism propaganda.” The sentence was deferred.

Background of the case

Mezopotamya Agency reporters Esra Solin Dal, Mehmet Aslan and journalist Erdoğan Alayumat were detained on 23 April 2024 as part of an investigation based in Istanbul. The journalists, who were held in custody for three days, were imprisoned pending trial by the court on 26 April 2024 on charges of “membership of in a terrorist organization.”

The indictment against Dal, Aslan and Alayumat was finalized on 8 May 2024. In the indictment, the journalists’ monitoring of press statements, and their contact with news sources who made these statements or were interviewed for reports, were cited as “criminal” elements. The Istanbul 25th High Criminal Court, which accepted the indictment, released the journalists on the same day under judicial supervision, imposing conditions that they were prohibited from leaving the country and were not to leave their place of residence.