Öznur Değer released pending trial; Lütfiye Burcu Kara acquitted; investigation launched against İsmail Arı; Naci Sapan fined for “insult”

Decision not to prosecute issued in investigation of “sexist insults” against Öznur Değer  

A decision not to prosecute has been issued in the investigation launched following a criminal complaint filed by JinNews News Director Öznur Değer against a police officer who allegedly made sexist insults against her.   

As part of the investigation carried out by the Mardin’s Midyat Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, video recordings shared on the social media platform X from the accounts “@dgroznur” and “@PerspectifNews,” which were stated to be related to the incident, were examined. In the CD examination report prepared by the prosecutor's office, it was claimed that the sexist insults made by the police officer were not included in the videos. The decision stated that Öznur Değer's claims were not supported by concrete evidence, that no contact or statement confirming the complaint was identified in the video footage, and that there was insufficient suspicion to warrant the initiation of a public prosecution.  

Journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin, who were covering developments in Northern and Eastern Syria, lost their lives in a drone attack in Syria on 19 December 2024. Değer claimed that she was subjected to sexist insults and abuse by a police officer while covering a march held on 22 December at a condolence gathering for the journalists in Mardin. 

Investigation launched against İsmail Arı 

The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has launched an investigation against BirGün reporter İsmail Arı.  

It has been reported that the investigation is being conducted by a prosecutor from the Terrorism and Organized Crime Bureau. 

Arı stated that he wanted to give a statement as part of the investigation, but his statement was not taken, and it was reported that “the case file is confidential.”  

Four journalists summoned for questioning on suspicion of “violating the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations”  

Selman Çiçek, co-chair of the Dicle Fırat Journalists' Association (DFG), and journalists Heval Önkol, Dilan Kartal, and Hividar Önver were summoned for questioning on 21 May on the grounds that they protested the killing of journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin in front of the DFG building in Diyarbakır on 20 December 2024. 

Çiçek and Önkol, who gave statements at the Diyarbakır Police Department on suspicion of “violating the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations” stated that Daştan and Bilgin were journalists and that they would not accept the killing of journalists regardless of their identity.

Investigation launched against Gülistan Dursun for “terrorism propaganda”

Journalist Gülistan Dursun was summoned for questioning for participating in a press statement held in protest of the killing of journalists Gülistan Tara and Hero Bahadîn by a drone in the city of Sulaymaniyah in the Federal Kurdistan Region on 23 August 2024.

Dursun, who gave a statement at the İstanbul Police Department on the charge of “terrorism propaganda”on 23 May, was accused of participating in a press statement made by journalists in Şişhane Square on 26 August 2024.

Additionally, Dursun is accused of carrying a sign reading “Gurbetelli’nin (Ersöz) Bükülmeyen Kalemiyiz” (We are the Unbreakable Pen of Gurbetelli (Ersöz)) during the aforementioned press statement.

Appeal against Diren Yurtsever's acquittal 

The prosecutor has filed an appeal against the acquittal of journalist Diren Yurtsever.  

Journalist Yurtsever was acquitted at the first hearing in the case in which she was tried on the charge of “revealing or publishing the identities of informants.” The İstanbul 23rd High Criminal Court ruled that “the material elements of the crime did not exist.” 

The prosecutor argued that the acquittal decision was contrary to the law in terms of both procedure and substance, and requested that the case be referred to the court of appeal. The prosecutor referred to Baran as a “witness” and demanded that Yurtsever be punished for “revealing the identities of informants.”

Öznur Değer released pending trial 

The first hearing in the trial of Öznur Değer, the news director of JinNews, who was detained by force during a raid on her family's home in the Kızıltepe district of Mardin on 7 February and jailed on the same day on the charge of “terrorism propaganda,” was held at the Mardin 2nd High Criminal Court on 22 May 2025. 

Journalist Değer participated in the hearing via the judicial videoconferencing system from the Erzincan Women's Closed Prison, where she is detained, while her lawyers were present in the courtroom. 

The court responded to Değer's request to defend herself in Kurdish by stating that they would provide an interpreter on the condition that she cover the cost. In response, Değer objected, stating that defending herself in her mother tongue could not be subject to a fee. A Kurdish interpreter was then brought in, and the defense proceeded. 

Değer said, "80 percent of the social media posts you consider to be crimes and have read are published news articles. The posts belong to me. An investigation was opened against me in 2022 because of the posts I shared. That investigation was dismissed. But today, these posts have been added to the indictment. The judge who overturned the decision not to prosecute is the same judge who ordered my imprisonment. This shows the lawlessness of the situation.”  

The prosecutor presented their final opinion on the case, requesting that Değer be convicted of “terrorism propaganda" and released pending trial. 

The presiding judge decided to release Değer, impose a travel ban and judicial control, and adjourned the trial until 21 October 2025.  

Tolga Şardan's trial adjourned until November 

The third hearing in the trial of T24 columnist Tolga Şardan, who was charged with “spreading falsr information” and “publicly denigrating the state's judicial organs” over his reports on allegations of “corruption in the judiciary,” was held at the İstanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance on 22 May 2025. 

Şardan did not attend the hearing, but his lawyers were present. P24 monitored the hearing. 

The prosecutor repeated their previous opinion on the case and requested that Şardan be punished for the impugned crimes. 

Şardan's lawyer, Mustafa Gökhan Tekşen, said, “The dual legal system in Turkey continues. A journalist named Cem Küçük said that artists would be ‘called to testify.’ However, despite his statements that did not reflect the truth, no investigation or prosecution was conducted against him.” 

Lawyer Tekşen went on, “A journalist's refusal to reveal his news source is not a crime; on the contrary, it is his right based on international norms. The publication of the article did not cause fear or panic among the public, and therefore the elements of the crime did not form,” and requested acquittal. 

Özlem Günel Tekşen, one of Şardan's lawyers, said, "The article on ‘publicly spreading false information’ is extremely vague. For this reason, many journalists who have been tried on this charge have been acquitted due to the inapplicability of the article. It is clear that the article in question was written to restore trust in judicial authorities at a time when such trust had been shaken," and requested acquittal. 

The court decided to adjourn the trial until 20 November 2025, pending the outcome of the investigation launched against the judge and prosecutors mentioned in the article in question. 

Merdan Yanardağ's trial adjourned until September 

The second hearing in the retrial of Tele 1 Editor-in-Chief Merdan Yanardağ, who was charged with “insulting the Turkish nation” over his column titled "Düzenin mafyalaşması" “The System Becoming Mafia,” was held at the İstanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance on 22 May 2025. 

Yanardağ did not attend the hearing, but his lawyer was present. P24 monitored the hearing. 

The prosecutor repeated their final opinion on the case they had previously presented and requested that Yanardağ be punished for the impugned crime. 

Yanardağ's lawyer, Bilgütay Hakkı Durna, said, "The article does not criticize the state, but rather the AKP government. The speech is a political analysis that discusses the process capitalism is going through. The system ‘becoming mafia’ is a concept used in political terminology. According to the law, statements of criticism do not constitute a crime. The elements of the crime did not form," and requested acquittal. 

The court adjourned the case until 25 September 2025, to evaluate the defense petition submitted by Yanardağ's lawyer between sessions. 

The trial of 38 defendants, including Tayip Temel, adjourned until December 

The 14th hearing in the retrial of 38 people, including former HDP Deputy Co-Chair and journalist Tayip Temel, on the charge of “establishing and leading a terrorist organization” was held at the Diyarbakır 2nd High Criminal Court on 22 May 2025. 

The defendants did not attend the hearing, but some of their lawyers were present in the courtroom. 

The court ruled that the arrest warrants for two defendants should be executed and that they should be allowed to give statements abroad. The trial was adjourned until 23 December 2025. 

Temel was imprisoned pending trial on 8 October 2011 in Diyarbakır as part of an operation launched under the name KCK while he was the editor-in-chief of the Azadiya Welat newspaper. An indictment was filed against him on the charge of “establishing and leading a terrorist organization.” Temel, who remained behind bars for approximately three years, was released pending trial on 1 July 2014. 

In 2017, Temel was sentenced to 18 years in prison, but the 16th Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation overturned the decision in 2019, ruling that Temel's actions should be considered “membership in a terrorist organization.” Temel's case was merged with those of the defendants in the main KCK case. In the retrial, a total of 38 people are standing trial on charges of “establishing and leading a terrorist organization” and “membership in a terrorist organization.” 

Lütfiye Burcu Kara acquitted 

Mücadele Birliği newspaper reporter Lütfiye Burcu Kara's third hearing in her trial on the charge of “membership in a terrorist organization” was held  at the İzmir 2nd High Criminal Court on 22 May 2025. 

Kara and her lawyer, Şule Arslan, were present at the hearing. 

Lawyer Arslan, said, “As the investigations have shown, my client is a journalist, and her reporting cannot be considered a crime. The witness statements are nothing more than abstract allegations,” and requested her acquittal. 

The prosecutor had also requested acquittal in their final opinion on the case. 

The court ruled to acquit the journalist.  

Trial of Cihat Polat adjourned until November 

The first hearing in the trial of Cihat Polat, a member of the Kocaeli Journalists Association (KOGACE) and a reporter for the Kocaeli newspaper, and another defendant on four separate charges was held at the Kocaeli 12th Criminal Court of First Instance on 20 May 2025. 

Polat and his lawyer, Başar Değer, were present at the hearing.  

In his defense, Polat said, "I have been working as a journalist in Kocaeli for five years. I am a holder of yellow press card. I reported Nazım Bey's revelations in a video. I did not jump off the wall, there were also no restrictions. I reported the allegations as they were. When I sent the story to the newspaper, I learned that the gendarmerie had come to the office. I was then detained by the gendarmerie. Before leaving, I knew who the building belonged to. I thought it had news value. I started recording footage while passing by the building. Construction activities were ongoing at the site in question." 

The court ruled that the area in question should be referred to the forestry authority. The trial was postponed to November 13, 2025. 

Polat, who was detained on 10 January Working Journalists Day, and later released, is on trial over his news report on allegations of “illegal constructions in agricultural land” involving the advisor to AKP Kocaeli Deputy Radiye Sezer Katırcıoğlu. 

Naci Sapan fined for “insult” 

The third hearing in the case against Tigris News Publication Coordinator and columnist Naci Sapan, who was charged with “insult” over his column titled “Kayyımlar, kayyımcıklar!” (Trustees, little trustees!) was held at the Diyarbakır 5th Criminal Court of First Instance on 20 May 2025. 

Sapan and his lawyer were present at the hearing. 

The court sentenced Sapan to 472 days of judicial fine for the crime he was charged with. The judge converted this sentence to a fine of TL 9,440 and suspended it. 

Yelda Çiçek's retrial adjourned 

The first hearing in the retrial of journalist Yelda Çiçek, who was detained while covering the protests against the appointment of trustees in Diyarbakır in 2019 and charged with “violating the Law on Meetings, Demonstrations, and Marches” was held at the Diyarbakır 4th Criminal Court of First Instance on 20 May 2025. 

The court ruled that the defendants, whose statements had not been taken, should be given time until the next hearing to do so, and adjourned the trial until 27 May.  

Mehmet Şah Oruç's trial on “terrorism” charges adjourned  The third hearing in the trial of journalist Mehmet Şah Oruç on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” and “terrorism propaganda” was held at the Bitlis 2nd High Criminal Court on 20 May 2025. 

Oruç did not attend the hearing, and his lawyer, Resul Temur, submitted an excuse.  

The trial was adjourned until 14 October 2025.  

Oruç, who was imprisoned pending trial on 25 April 2023 as part of an investigation launched in Diyarbakır, was released on 31 October 2023. 

Compensation case against Evrensel daily adjourned until September 

The third hearing in the compensation case brought upon a complaint by Adnan Tanrıverdi, founder of the International Defense Consultancy Company (SADAT), against Evrensel newspaper on the charge of “violation of personal rights” was held at the İstanbul Bakırköy 4th Commercial Court of First Instance on 20 May 2025. 

The newspaper's lawyer, Devrim Avcı, was present at the hearing. 

The court adjourned the trial until 23 September 2025, to allow the parties to prepare their statements on the case. 

At least 31 journalists and media workers in prison 

Following the release of journalist Öznur Değer as of 23 May 2025, there are at least 31 journalists and media workers in pre-trial detention or imprisonment in Turkey. 

The full list can be accessed here.