ETHA reporter Züleyha Müldür, who was also accused of attending court hearings, distributing newspapers and taking part in protests, has been sentenced to 6 years and 3 months in prison on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization”

CANAN COŞKUN, ISTANBUL

The sixth hearing in the trial of Etkin Haber Ajansı (ETHA) reporter Züleyha Müldür, who is on trial on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” was held at the 14th Istanbul High Criminal Court on 29 September 2026.

Züleyha Müldür and her lawyers attended the hearing, which was monitored by P24. At the start of the hearing, the presiding judge asked the prosecutor whether there had been any changes to their final opinion on the case. The prosecutor reiterated their final opinion in which he sought a sentence in line with the indictment.

In her defense, Müldür spoke as follows: “I do not agree with the prosecutor’s opinion. The charges in question are my constitutional rights. They are also rights stemming from my work as a journalist and from being a socialist and a feminist. I am being sought to be punished for these reasons. I do not agree with this and I demand my acquittal.”

In his statement, Müldür’s lawyer, Lokman Emen, recalled that the trial in question had begun with an intelligence report. Emen stated that the case had reached this stage because Müldür’s actions, which stemmed from her democratic rights, had been treated as if they were criminal offenses, and he noted that the case file had been inflated with such allegations. Emen stated that the social media posts in the case file had been collected via “virtual patrols,” but that the police’s authority to do so had been ruled unlawful and annulled by the Constitutional Court; nevertheless, evidence continued to be gathered in this manner. Emen pointed out that the Constitutional Court’s rulings were not being recognized by local courts, noting that this had undermined the legal basis of the proceedings. Lawyer Emen noted that if a judgement against his client were to be handed down, it would be found to be unlawful by the Constitutional Court, and he requested an acquittal for his client. When asked for her final statement, Müldür also reiterated her request for acquittal.

The court, in delivering its verdict, sentenced Müldür to 6 years and 3 months in prison on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization.”

Background of the case

Müldür, who was detained during an operation targeting the Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP), the Federation of Socialist Youth Associations (SGDF) and the Socialist Women’s Councils, was imprisoned pending trial on 24 January 2025.

Müldür was released at the end of the first hearing on 25 June 2025, subject to an international travel ban and a requirement to sign in weekly. During an operation on 3 February 2026 targeting the ESP, SGDF, Socialist Women’s Councils, DİSK/LİMTER-İŞ and the Polen Foundation for Ecology, Science, Education, Aesthetics, Culture and Art Research, Müldür was re-arrested and released under judicial supervision.

In the indictment filed by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, attending a court hearing at the Istanbul Courthouse on 24 September 2024; taking part in the anniversary event of the Atılım newspaper and distributing the newspaper, and participating in a commemoration of the Suruç massacre—in which 33 people lost their lives in an attack carried out by ISIS in 2015—were listed as charges. It was also alleged that Müldür had taken part in a protest against the appointment of trustees to local councils, and this was included as a charge.

During the third hearing, the anonymous witness G.T. stated that he did not recall Züleyha Müldür. The anonymous witness G.T. also left unanswered the question of whether he had availed himself of the opportunity for leniency under the “sincere repentance” provision.

Following the fifth hearing held in July, the prosecutor presented their final opinion on the case and requested that Müldür be sentenced in accordance with the charges set out in the indictment.