Emin Şakir, publisher and editor of the solyayin.com website that contains a digital archive of all leftist publications in Turkey, was imprisoned pending trial by a criminal judgeship of peace on 28 November 2017. He was reportedly charged with “disseminating propaganda for a terrorist organization” on account of the digital material found in his home and his involvement in Gezi Park protests in the western province of Izmir in 2013.

Şakir’s case was sent to the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office on 4 December 2017. On 6 December, the prosecution sent the indictment they drafted to the Istanbul 33rd High Criminal Court to initiate Şakir’s trial but the court rejected the indictment, citing problems regarding its content. The prosecutor then applied to the next court of first instance, which acts as an appeal court, but that court agreed with the 33rd High Criminal Court.

On 17 March 2018, the prosecutor sent the indictment to the 33rd High Criminal Court of Istanbul again but on 11 May the court rejected the indictment once again.

Şakir’s lawyers say they do not have access to the content of the investigation file due to a confidentiality order while routine monthly objections to pre-trial detention have been rejected.

Şakir was released on 7 June after seven months in pre-trial detention when the Istanbul 33^rd High Criminal Court accepted the indictment against him. Details about charges in the indictment were not immediately available.

Şakir’s house was raided and searched in 2015 as part of an investigation that was also subject to a confidentiality order. His digital archive, computers, smart phone and hard drives found in his home were seized during that raid.

On 15 February 2019, at the end of the second hearing of his trial, Şakir was acquitted of the charges against him.