ETHA reporter Elif Bayburt had been in pre-trial detention for over seven months on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization”

CANAN COŞKUN, ISTANBUL

The first hearing in the case against Etkin Haber Ajansı (ETHA) reporter Elif Bayburt, charged with “membership in a terrorist organization” was held at the 24th Istanbul High Criminal Court on 17 September 2026.

Elif Bayburt and her lawyer, Ahmet Baran Çelik, were present at the hearing, which was monitored by P24.

When asked to present her defense against the charges pressed against her, Bayburt stated that she was an ETHA reporter and was in her fifth year in the profession. Bayburt explained that she covered social and political events as a journalist, noting that several of these had been listed as charges in the indictment. She also pointed out that her attendance at a hearing to monitor a trial had been recorded as evidence of a crime, adding, “I also covered the case concerning the fire at the nightclub in Gayrettepe as a journalist. However, these incidents were not included in the indictment.” 

Bayburt stated that she had also attended a press conference organized by the Human Rights Association regarding “well-type” prisons – an event listed as a charge in the indictment – and responded to the charges as follows:

“Like other journalists, I attended the memorial ceremonies held for those who lost their lives in the Suruç massacre to report on the events. I attended not at the organization’s invitation, as alleged, but at the invitation of the families of those who lost their lives in this massacre. The commemoration for the war veterans was also a public event, organized at the call of numerous democratic mass organizations and political parties. I, too, attended this as a journalist.”

Commenting on the statements by the informant witnesses that ETHA merely covered the organization’s statements, Bayburt said, “ETHA is a news agency operating on socialist principles. We report on the statements of numerous parties, not just one organization.”

Bayburt also stated that she had not attended the online meeting referred to in the indictment. Claiming that the telephone wiretaps had been cherry-picked, Bayburt noted that this conversation also concerned the murders of child laborers. Recalling the allegation that she had made telephone calls to individuals under investigation in connection with the organization, Bayburt said she did not know who these people were. Upon this, the presiding judge listed the names of some of these individuals. The names listed by the presiding judge, all of whom are well-known to the public, are as follows: former HDP MPs Dersim Dağ and Murat Çepni; journalists Serdal Işık, Müslüm Koyun, Umut Taştan and Esra Solin Dal.

Regarding the allegation in the indictment that a large number of banned publications had been found at her home, Bayburt said the following: “It was not a large number of publications, but the confiscated issue of the magazine ‘Marxist Theory.’ I bought this magazine from a bookshop right in the heart of Taksim.” 

Bayburt requested her release, stating that there was no concrete evidence regarding her arrest.

Bayburt’s lawyer, Ahmet Baran Çelik, also reported that all the witnesses listed in the indictment had confirmed that his client was a journalist. Lawyer Çelik stated that his client was being tried for her journalistic activities and requested her release, saying, “Once released, she will come here and continue to follow the proceedings.”

The court asked the prosecutor for their final opinion on the case regarding Bayburt’s detention. The prosecutor requested that Bayburt remain in custody on the grounds that the witnesses had not yet been heard.

The court panel took a brief recess to discuss the requests and, upon resumption, ordered that no one other than the lawyer be admitted to the courtroom. The court, which released Bayburt, adjourned the case until 10 December 2026, according to information provided by the lawyer.

Background of the case

Elif Bayburt was detained as part of an operation launched by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office across 22 cities on the morning of 3 February 2026. Bayburt, who was brought to Istanbul Courthouse on 5 February, was referred to the court along with 56 others, with a request for their imprisonment. The court issued an order for 47 individuals, including Bayburt, to be sent to pre-trial detention on the grounds that “evidence had not yet been gathered” and there was “suspicion of flight or concealment of evidence.” 

The indictment filed by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office stated that Bayburt had “a criminal record for terrorist offenses” and that she had an open case file in the National Judiciary Informatics System. The indictment reported that two individuals who had benefited from leniency due to effective repentance had given statements regarding Bayburt. The confessing witnesses stated that Bayburt had participated in a commemoration of the attack in which a large number of people were killed during the raids on coffeehouses in Gazi Mahallesi on 12 March 1995, and that she had worked for ETHA.

The indictment noted that Bayburt had been in contact with 38 individuals “under investigation for terrorist offenses;” furthermore, according to the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) report, it was stated that she had made financial transfers to 10 individuals “under investigation for terrorist offenses.” The indictment, which states that Bayburt’s telephone communications were tapped, records as charges that she “carried out activities at ETHA, held discussions regarding their actions, and exchanged ideas with the individuals she was in contact with.” The indictment also states that Bayburt was placed under technical surveillance, and her attendance to monitored a hearing held at the 22nd Istanbul High Criminal Court on 17 July 2025 was also treated as an offense.

The indictment notes that Bayburt’s participation in a memorial service for the Suruç attack—in which 33 people lost their lives and over 100 were injured in a suicide bombing carried out by ISIS on 20 July 2015—was recorded as evidence of a criminal offense. The indictment states that it was established that Bayburt took photographs with a camera during the commemoration and continued to observe the event until the group dispersed.

Bayburt’s exit from the DEM Party’s district office building in Kadıköy, Istanbul with a group on 10 August 2025 was also cited as evidence.

The indictment also noted as evidence Bayburt’s participation in a press conference held by the Human Rights Association on 27 August 2025 regarding prisons where “well-type” absolute solitary confinement is practiced. Bayburt’s participation in an online meeting was also treated as a criminal offense in the indictment. Posts made on her social media accounts following her arrest were also included in the indictment as grounds for charges against Bayburt