The trial of journalists in Diyarbakır facing charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” and “terrorism propaganda” has been postponed until 9 July

ARDIL BATMAZ, DIYARBAKIR

The 10th hearing in the trial of 19 journalists, who were imprisoned pending trial in 2022 and remained in detention for over a year, on charges of "membership in a terrorist organization" and "terrorism propaganda" was held at the Diyarbakır 4th High Criminal Court on 9 April 2026.

At the hearing, which was monitored by P24, the journalists Abdurrahman Öncü, Ömer Çelik, Mehmet Ali Ertaş, Berivan Karatorak, Esmer Tunç, and Serdar Altan were present along with their lawyers. The Dicle Fırat Journalists’ Association and the Mezopotamya Women Journalists’ Association also observed the hearing.

Speaking during the hearing, journalist Karatorak stated, “I have no connection whatsoever to the program or channel mentioned in the case file. I am also unaware of the program’s content. I do not accept the allegations against me.”

Journalist Altan said, “We have been on trial for nearly four years. As is evident, all the charges in this case pertain to journalism. There are baseless accusations against us. Due to the international travel ban, none of us can properly carry out our work. This is a fundamental problem for us. Even if the trial continues, we at least expect this measure to be lifted.”

Following the journalists, lawyer Resul Temur took the floor, noting that the journalists have been subject to travel bans for over four years, and stated, “During this process, none of the defendants committed any violations. This situation has now also turned into an obstruction of professional activities. We request that your court lift the travel bans at this stage.”

After a recess in the hearing, the court announced its decision, ruling to maintain the international travel ban on the journalists, and adjourning the case until 9 July 2026.

Background of the case

Some production companies in Diyarbakır were raided by the police on 8 June 2022 over claims that they were shooting programs and producing content for the Stêrk TV and Medya Haber TV channels, which broadcast abroad. Several journalists, whose homes and workplaces were also searched by the police, were detained as part of the investigation. The police took a month to search the premises of the production companies.

The police presented video cameras and news materials confiscated during the searches as “evidence of terrorist organization’s activity” and provided images of these to the press. Sixteen journalists were imprisoned pending trial on 16 June 2022.

The Diyarbakır Chief Prosecutor’s Office filed a 728-page long indictment against the 18 journalists on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” and “terrorism propaganda.” At the end of the first hearing held at the Diyarbakır 4th High Criminal Court on 11-12 July 2023, 16 Kurdish journalists and press workers were released with a ban on travelling abroad after 13 months in detention.

With the addition of four individuals to the case, the number of journalists on trial rose to 20. Later, journalist Mehmet Şahin's case was separated from the file at the sixth hearing and merged with another case file heard at the Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court. With this decision, the number of journalists on trial fell to 19.