Journalist Ercüment Akdeniz was jailed in February as part of the HDK investigation. Akdeniz was released 247 days later with a ban on leaving the country

CANSU PİŞKİN, İSTANBUL

The second hearing in the trial of imprisoned journalist Ercüment Akdeniz, who is charged with “membership in a terrorist organization,” was held at the İstanbul 26th High Criminal Court on 23 October 2025.

Ercüment Akdeniz and his lawyers were present at the hearing, which was monitored by P24. The hearing was observed by a large number of people, including DEM Party MP Meral Danış Beştaş and Celal Fırat, TIP MP Sera Kadıgil, CHP MP Utku Çakırözer, and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Turkey representative Erol Önderoğlu.

Sedat Suyu, who was heard as a witness at the hearing, said that he did not know Akdeniz in any way and had no information about him. Witness Suyu also stated that he did not remember the statement he gave to the police.

After the witness statement, Akdeniz took the floor and said, "The first hearing coincided with the judicial recess. I made a detailed defense before the temporary president. The public knows me as a journalist, from my political work with the Labor Party. I have no connection or affiliation with any armed organization. They are trying to pin a crime on me with baseless accusations. I will not accept this."

Referring to material errors in the indictment, Akdeniz said, "The Evrensel newspaper has been accused of publishing terrorist organization’s material. This is a truly absurd and bizarre accusation. There are terrible material errors in the tape related to this. The book about the 18th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) is written as the MLKP 18th Congress book. How can this be? I have been detained for 247 days. I have been away from my television, from reporting the news, from my family. I want to be released and acquitted."

Özcan Karakoç, one of Akdeniz's lawyers, stated that there was no more evidence to be collected or witnesses to be heard in the case and requested that the prosecutor be given the floor first if their final opinion on the case was ready.

The prosecutor, stating that their opinion was not ready, requested that Akdeniz's detention continue on the grounds that the alleged crime was a catalog crime and that there was “strong suspicion of a crime.” Karakoç said, "If the crime attributed to my client is membership in the HDK, we should discuss the concrete evidence for this. Unfortunately, we cannot defend against allegations that are not based on facts," and requested Akdeniz's release.

Akdeniz's lawyers, Özgür Urfa and Gökay Işık, also reiterated their requests for release and acquittal.

The court decided to release Akdeniz under judicial control measures in the form of a ban on leaving the country. The trial was adjourned until 10 February 2026.

Following the release decision, Akdeniz was released from Marmara (Silivri) Prison, where he was being held, at around 10:00 p.m.

Background of the case

As part of an İstanbul-based operation related to the Peoples' Democratic Congress (HDK), 50 people, including journalist Ercüment Akdeniz, were detained on 18 February 2025, during police raids on their homes. The prosecution claimed that Akdeniz and the other detained individuals “were active in the HDK structure in Istanbul.” Describing the HDK as a “front organization with a legal appearance,” the prosecutor's office claimed that the organization was an alternative parliament to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.

Akdeniz and the other 49 individuals held at the İstanbul Security Directorate were restricted from meeting with their lawyers for 24 hours, and a confidentiality order was imposed on the case file.

Akdeniz and the other 49 individuals were transferred to the Istanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan on 21 February, following a four-day detention period. Thirty individuals, including Akdeniz, were arrested and sent to prison.