Journalists Dinçer Gökçe, Nilay Can, and Veysi Dündar were on trial for “spreading false” over their report about a prosecutor, who dismantled the Yenidoğan Gang, being removed from duty.

The fifth hearing in the trial of halktv.com.tr Editor-in-Chief Dinçer Gökçe, Nilay Can, Editor-in-Chief of gazetepencere.com, journalist Veysi Dündar, and lawyer İrem Çiçek was held at the Bakırköy 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance on 8 January 2026. The defendants are on trial for “spreading false information” over news reports and social media posts alleging that the prosecutor leading the investigation into the Yenidoğan Gang had been removed from their post.

Gökçe and defense lawyers were present at the hearing, which was monitored by P24.

The prosecutor, repeating their final opinion on the case, requested that all defendants be punished for the impugned crime.

Before beginning her defense, Çiçek pointed out that two plainclothes police officers were present in the courtroom, stating, "A police officer entered the courtroom without the court's request. It is unclear why they came and who requested them; I request that this matter be recorded in the minutes. Since I am being tried for statements I made regarding the case in which I am serving as counsel, an investigation permit should have been obtained. I consider my prosecution to be part of the practices frequently encountered recently against opposition journalists and lawyers.”

Defending against the opinion on the case, journalist Can’s lawyer Bilge Batur said, ”My client was on leave when the news was written. Therefore, it cannot be accepted that she committed a crime. The elements of the crime do not exist, we request that our client be acquitted.”

“I do not understand why we are here and why we are being tried"

Beginning his defense by stating that he has been a journalist for 21 years, Gökçe said, "I continue to report as a correspondent. 200 to 300 news items are posted on halktv.com.tr every day. It is not possible for me to review each one. Our colleagues reported on Ms. İrem's tweets. We contacted the ministry as soon as possible to verify the information, and the Ministry of Justice's statement was posted quickly. Out of respect for the profession, we adhere to the code of ethics. I do not understand why we are here and why we are being tried. I do not agree with the indictment; we are facing an unjust case,” requesting acquittal.

Gökçe's lawyer, Gökçe Yavuzeser, also requested an acquittal, stating that his client had no intent to commit a crime.

“The indictment has no legal basis.”

Journalist Dündar's lawyer, Ali İmran Akküncü, said that his client shared the news story in question and later shared the correction. Lawyer Akküncü said, "For it to be considered specific intent, my client must have known that the news was false, but this element does not exist. Furthermore, it must have been shared with the intent to cause fear and panic. There is no mention of such an intent. The shared news must be capable of disrupting public peace. This result must be concretely demonstrated. This indictment has no legal basis, and I request my client's acquittal."

The court acquitted journalists Dinçer Gökçe, Nilay Can, and Veysi Dündar separately on the grounds that the elements of the crime of “spreading false information” were not present. Lawyer İrem Çiçek was acquitted of the charge of “insult,” but was sentenced to 10 months in prison for the crime of “spreading false information.” The sentence was deferred.

Background of the case

Journalists detained on 3 November 2024 as part of an investigation launched into news story titled "Yenidoğan çetesini çökerten savcı görevden el çektirildi" (Prosecutor who brought down the Yenidoğan Gang removed from office) and related posts were released under judicial control, while lawyer İrem Çiçek was placed under house arrest.

The indictment dated 12 November 2024, sought punishment for Dinçer Gökçe, Nilay Can, Veysi Dündar, İrem Çiçek, and one other person for the crime of “spreading false information.” Lawyer Çiçek was also sought to be punished for the crime of “insult.”

With the indictment accepted by the Bakırköy 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance, the first hearing was held on 22 January 2025. At the end of the hearing, following the defense statements, the court lifted the judicial control measures against the defendants and decided to separate the case file for one defendant.