An investigation has been launched against BirGün editor Kayhan Ayhan; Melisa Gülbaş ordered to pay fine; new indictment filed with request for merger against Abdurrahman Gök

An investigation has been launched against BirGün editor Kayhan Ayhan

An investigation has been launched against BirGün editor Kayhan Ayhan by the İstanbul Anadolu Chief Public Prosecutor's Office Press Crimes Investigation Bureau.

The reason for the investigation was Ayhan's news reports and social media posts regarding the student protests that began after İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu was imprisoned pending trial.

Ayhan, who gave a statement with his lawyer Tolgay Güvercin at the Anadolu Courthouse on 8 October said, “I am a journalist. As part of my duty to inform the public, I reported and shared the student protests in question for the public's right to information. I also shared the content in question for news purposes.”

New indictment filed with request for merger against Abdurrahman Gök

The Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has filed a new indictment on the charge of “membership in a terrorist organization,” requesting merger with another case opened against Gök. The two-page indictment, based on the testimony given on 18 October 2022 by the secret witness who had previously testified against many journalists under the code name “K8Ç4B3L1T5,” devoted one page to the definition of the PKK.

The witness “K8Ç4B3L1T5” defined Abdurrahman Gök's participation in statements made about detained journalists as “representing the organization,” while describing the news reports he produced after traveling to the Kobane region of Syria during the conflict there as “news reports made in line with the organization's ideology.” The indictment also included the photographing by Abdurrahman Gök of Kemal Kurkut, a university student shot dead by police during the 2017 Newroz celebrations in Diyarbakır. The witness stated, “He is the person who photographed Kemal Kurkut being neutralized by security forces during the Newroz celebrations held in Diyarbakır province in 2017,” and the witness's statements were evaluated as “ties with the organization.”

The indictment, filed with a request for merger, was accepted by the Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court. The court merged it with the case in which Abdurrahman Gök is tried on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” and “terrorism propaganda.”

The hearing in Gök's trial will be held on 25 November.

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The trial of 30 defendants including journalists Elif Bayburt and Nisa Sude Demirel adjourned until May 2026

Hearing in the trial of 30 people, including journalists Elif Bayburt and Nisa Sude Demirel, who are charged with “participating in illegal meetings and marches without weapons and refusing to disperse despite warnings,” was held at the Istanbul 14th Criminal Court of First Instance on 10 October 2025.

The court ruled that judicial control measures should continue.

The trial was adjourned until 15 May 2026.

Melisa Gülbaş sentenced to pay compensation

The fourth hearing in the trial of journalist Melisa Gülbaş on the charge of “insulting a public official in connection with their duties” over a report was held at the İstanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance on 9 October 2025.

Lawyers for both sides were present at the hearing, which was monitored by P24. Gülbaş did not attend the hearing.

At the previous hearing, Gülbaş's lawyer had requested that the file from the İstanbul 3rd Administrative Court concerning Mehmet Turan, who was involved in the case, be submitted to the current file in order to prove the allegations in the news report. At the beginning of the hearing, the presiding judge stated that the file from the İstanbul 3rd Administrative Court had been received by the court. Upon this, Turan's lawyer, Muhammet Lütfü Katırcı, stated that he had no objection to the file. Gülbaş's lawyer, Bilge Batur, requested time to review the file.

The judge stated that the case file related to Turan had been entered into the file on 30 April 2025, and that the lawyer had time to review the file, and rejected the request for time.

The prosecutor reiterated their final opinion on the case they presented at the hearing on 30 May 2024, and requested that Gülbaş be punished for the impugned crime.

The court imposed a judicial fine of TL 7,080 on Gülbaş, citing the manner in which the crime was committed, the importance and value of the subject matter of the crime, and the severity of the damage and danger caused. The sentence was deferred.

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Journalist Rahime Karvar's case merged with HDK file

The third hearing in the case against journalist Rahime Karvar, who is charged with “membership in a terrorist organization” over her professional activities, was held at the İstanbul 24th High Criminal Court on 9 October 2025.

Journalist Karvar and her lawyers were present at the hearing, which was monitored by P24.

After identification, Karvar defended herself against the charges in the merged HDK case, stating, “HDK is an organization that defends the people's right to organize. Journalists can also be part of it, and I was closely following HDK's work by being part of it. That is why my name is on the lists that are being presented as illegal. I do not consider this a crime.”

The prosecutor, presenting their final opinion on the case, requested that Karvar be punished for the crime of “membership in a terrorist organization” along with the consolidated HDK case.

Karvar's lawyers requested time to make a statement against the prosecutor’s opinion. Accepting the request for time, the court decided to continue the judicial control measures against Karvar.

The trial was adjourned until 13 November 2025.

Reyhan Hacıoğlu's trial adjourned until January 2026

The second hearing in the trial of journalist Reyhan Hacıoğlu, who is charged with “membership in a terrorist organization,” was held at the Van 2nd High Criminal Court on 9 October 2025.

Reyhan Hacıoğlu did not attend the hearing, but her lawyer, Nazmi Acar, was present. P24 monitored the hearing.

Lawyer Nazmi Acar requested that the judicial control measures imposed on Hacıoğlu, namely signing in at regular intervals and a ban on leaving the country, be lifted.

The court decided to continue the judicial control measures against Hacıoğlu.

The trial was adjourned until 6bJanuary 2026.

Aram Publishing House trial begins: File sent to the prosecutor's office for final opinion to be filed

The trial of Aram Publishing House’s owner Hakkı Boltan, and his employee Delil Zengeralp, who are charged with “terrorism propaganda” following the seizure of two books at the Aram Publishing House stand in 2024, got underway at the Diyarbakır 4th High Criminal Court on 9 October 2025.

Hakkı Boltan, Delil Zengeralp, and their lawyer Resul Temur were present at the hearing, which was monitored by P24.

After his identity was verified, Hakkı Boltan presented his defense, stating that the publishing house prints works by many different authors and saying: "I am not familiar with the content of all the books we have published. I do not have the opportunity to know the authors of the books. Some of them reached us through their friends and family, and sent us the books. As a publisher, I evaluated the books to see if they could be read and sold. Until the investigation, I had no information that the books contained any criminal content."

Following Boltan, Delil Zengeralp, who presented his defense, stated that he worked as an office worker at Aram Publishing House and that he was not aware of the content of the books “Efrîn Resistance Diary” written by Hatip Dicle and “Dildare Serkeftina” (Lovers of Success)

Temur stated that there had been no ban on the books in question until the day of the incident and that the content of the books should be evaluated within the scope of freedom of the press and expression. He requested the acquittal of his clients, stating that they were not criminally liable.

The court decided to issue a memorandum to the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office requesting the receipt for the books in question and to send the file to the prosecutor's office for the final opinion on the case to be filed.

The trial was adjourned until 27 January 2026.

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Rüstem Batum's “insulting the president” case adjourned until May 2026

The fourth hearing in the case against journalist Rüstem Batum, who is charged with “insulting the president” over two posts he shared on his X (formerly Twitter) account, was held at the İstanbul 60th Criminal Court of First Instance on 8 October 2025.

Batum did not attend the hearing, but his lawyer, Batıkan Erkoç, was present in the courtroom.

Erkoç stated that his client has cancer and lives in the United States, requesting that instructions be sent to the address they provided and that the ban on Batum leaving the country be lifted.

The court decided to issue an instruction abroad to obtain Batum's defense at the address provided. The court also decided to continue the arrest warrant against Batum and adjourned the case until 13 May 2026.

Nurcan Yalçın's travel ban kept in place

The fourth hearing in the trial of journalist Nurcan Yalçın, who is being tried on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” and “financing terrorism,” was held at the Diyarbakır 9th High Criminal Court on 7 October 2025.

Yalçın did not attend the hearing, but her lawyer Resul Temur was present in the courtroom. P24 monitored the hearing.

Temur requested time to submit the witness's address and identity information to the court and asked for the lifting of the ban on Yalçın traveling abroad.

The court decided to wait for the open investigation file conducted by the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office to be submitted, to continue the ban on traveling abroad, and to grant time to submit the witness's address and identity information to the court.

The next hearing will be held on 3 March 2026.

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Author Yavuz Ekinci's trial adjourned until November

The second hearing in the retrial of author Yavuz Ekinci on the charge of “terrorism propaganda” for his novel “Rüyası Bölünenler” (Those Whose Dreams Were Divided), was held at the İstanbul 23rd High Criminal Court on 6 October 2025.

At the hearing, which Ekinci and his lawyer attended, the prosecutor requested that the missing details in the case file be completed.

Ekinci and his lawyer said they repeated the defenses they made at the previous hearing.

The trial was adjourned until 10 November 2025.

At least 28 journalists and media workers behind bars in Turkey

As of 10 October 2025, there are at least 28 journalists and media workers in prison in Turkey, either in pre-trial detention or serving a finalized sentence.

The full list can be accessed here.