After Kaya's statement, obtained through a subpoena, was added to the file, the court decided to send the file to the prosecutor to draft their opinion on the case. The trial was adjourned until 24 December

ARDIL BATMAZ, DİYARBAKIR

The eighth hearing in the trial of journalist Perihan Kaya on the charge of “terrorism propaganda” was held at the Diyarbakır 10th High Criminal Court on 7 November 2025.

Kaya's lawyer, Resul Temur, was present at the hearing, which was monitored by P24. Kaya, who resides abroad, did not attend the hearing.

Kaya's statement, taken in Switzerland via video link, was added to the case file. As the statement sent by the Ministry of Justice was in German, it was referred to an expert for translation. The presiding judge stated that the expected translation had not yet arrived. Lawyer Resul Temur, however, stated that the translation was in the file.

The court decided to send the file to the prosecutor's office for the final opinion to be prepared. The trial was adjourned until 24 December 2025.

Background of the case

A case was brought against journalist Perihan Kaya on charges of “terrorism propaganda” and “membership in a terrorist organization” on the grounds of her membership in the now-defunct Free Journalists Association (ÖGC), her social media posts, her telephone conversations with colleagues, and secret witness statements, alleging that she was “responsible for the KCK structure in the press field.”

In the indictment, eight posts allegedly made on Kaya's Facebook account in 2015, and 24 tweets of unknown dates were presented as evidence for the charges against Kaya.

At the first hearing on 24 March 2021, Kaya was sentenced to 1 year and 3 months in prison for “terrorism propaganda” but was acquitted of the “membership in a terrorist organization.”

However, the appeals court overturned the local court's decision on the grounds that the chain of offenses had not been taken into account and that the sentence was insufficient, and sent the case back for retrial.