The court has decided to lift the requirement for Hacıoğlu to sign in once a week, but ruled that the ban on leaving the country should continue. The case has been postponed until 3 March

FURKAN TUNÇDEMİR, VAN

The third hearing in the trial of journalist Reyhan Hacıoğlu, who is being tried on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” as part of an Istanbul-based investigation, was held at the Van 2nd High Criminal Court on 6 January 2026.

Hacıoğlu's lawyer, Nazmi Ayaz, was present at the hearing, which was monitored by P24. Representatives from the Van Branch of the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV), the Van-Hakkari Medical Association Human Rights Commission, and the Eastern Anatolia Human Rights Defenders Solidarity Network observed the hearing.

Hacıoğlu's lawyer, Nazmi Ayaz, stated that the television programs mentioned in the indictment consisted solely of political assessments and that there were no calls, instructions, or orders given by any illegal organization in this content. Ayaz said that the prosecutor's office made a negative assessment based on the channel on which the programs were broadcast rather than the content of the programs, adding that this posed a serious legal risk. Ayaz said that the topics covered in the programs were openly discussed in public and that Hacıoğlu's prosecution for this content was more symbolic punishment than legal. Ayaz said, “If the same statements had been made on a different channel, my client would not be on the defendant's bench today.”

Ayaz argued that continuing the trial in this manner undermines not only his client but also society's trust in the law, claiming that the long-standing judicial control measures violate the presumption of innocence and demanding that the measures be lifted.

The court lifted the obligation for Hacıoğlu to sign in at a police station near his residence once a week but ruled that the ban on leaving the country would continue. The court decided to hear journalist Velat Ekin as a witness at the next hearing and postponed the case until 3 March 2026.

Background of the case

Reyhan Hacıoğlu was detained on 17 January 2025, as part of an investigation conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, during operations targeting Medya Haber TV employees. Three days later, Hacıoğlu was imprisoned pending trial on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” and sent to Van T Type Closed Prison.

The indictment cited statements made by Hacıoğlu on television programs she presented, interviews she conducted with news sources, and her professional contacts as evidence of criminal activity. The majority of the evidence consisted of expert reports and program analyses.

Hacıoğlu was released under judicial control measures at the first hearing of the case. Journalist Velat Ekin, owner of Güncel Medya Prodüksiyon, who was arrested as part of the same investigation, was acquitted at the first hearing in his trial.

Hacıoğlu had previously been tried in different cases for his journalistic activities at the Özgür Gündem and Özgürlükçü Demokrasi newspapers; some of these cases resulted in acquittal, while others were subject to appeal and retrial processes