Ekin, who had been imprisoned pending trial since January on the charge of “membership in a terrorist organization,” was acquitted at the first hearing

CANSU PİŞKİN, ISTANBUL

The first hearing in the trial of journalist Velat Ekin on the charge of “membership in a terrorist organization” was held at the İstanbul 23rd High Criminal Court on 16 April 2025.

Velat Ekin and his lawyers were present at the hearing, which was monitored by P24.

After the identification, Velat Ekin made his defense demanding his release and acquittal: “I did an internship at Mezopotamya Agency when I was a student. My corporate card from that period is cited as evidence in the indictment and my journalistic activity is targeted. The allegation of 'membership in a terrorist organization' is baseless and not based on any concrete evidence. Two months before I was detained, I took over the company Güncel Prodüksiyon. I did not have the opportunity to do much work in two months.” The presiding judge asked whether Ekin would make an additional defense on the charge of “aiding a terrorist organization.” Ekin denied this charge as well.

Ekin's lawyer Sidar Perçin said, “The prosecutor who prepared the indictment is trying to associate Medya Haber with our client, but there is no concrete information or evidence in the file. The presence of a press card belonging to Mezopotamya Agency is made an accusation in the indictment. Mezopotamya Agency is a legal agency that carries out legal activities. The client's news is directly related to freedom of the press. Another point is that accusing journalists because of the agency they work for is against the law. The legal elements of the crime did not form in the concrete case.”

Özcan Kılıç, one of Ekin's lawyers, stated that the accusation against his client was baseless and demanded his release and acquittal.

Presenting their final opinion on the case, the prosecutor demanded that Ekin be sentenced for “membership in a terrorist organization” and be kept in detention.

Taking the floor against the final opinion, Ekin repeated his previous defenses and demanded his acquittal.

The court acquitted Ekin and released him since the elements of the crime did not form.

Journalists Necla Demir, Rahime Karvar, Ahmet Güneş, Velat Ekin, Velat Ekin, Vedat Örüç and Reyhan Hacıoğlu were detained in house raids in Van, İstanbul and Mersin on 17 January as part of an investigation launched by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. Ekin and the journalists were imprisoned pending trial on 20 January on the charge of “membership in a terrorist organization” and sent to prison.