The court has deferred the sentence and lifted the judicial control measures against Gürses

The second hearing in the trial of journalist Özlem Gürses on the charge of “publicly denigrating the state's military organization” over criticism she made about the Turkish Armed Forces in Syria on her YouTube channel was held at the İstanbul 30th Criminal Court of First Instance on 24 April 2025.

Gürses and her lawyers, Hüseyin Gürsöz and Enes Hikmet Ermaner, were present at the hearing, which was monitored by P24.

In her defense, Gürses stated, “It is claimed that I insulted or defamed the Turkish Armed Forces by sharing an 8-second video clip selected from a 75-minute live broadcast through trolls and anonymous social media accounts. In my 30-year career as a journalist, you will not find a single word, not even an implication of insult, in any of the interviews I have conducted in the written press, in my live broadcasts on television, or in any of the content I have shared on my own YouTube channel.”

“For the past four months, I have been living a nightmare caused by the editing of two sentences I said while describing a map on screen. Because of this fabrication, I have been banned from traveling abroad for four months and was unable to attend two international conferences as a speaker. Handcuffs were placed on my hands, and these images, recorded on a cell phone for the purpose of reputation assassination, were circulated. Decisions were leaked to the press before we even saw them. I was detained at home for 52 days with an electronic ankle monitor for a word I never even implied.

“I have done, am doing, and will continue to do what I believe in—both for my life and my profession—with the hope of leaving an honorable legacy to my son. After all, everything I have done in my profession is available in digital archives; I have not deleted or blocked a single thing. It is all there.”

Gürses's lawyer, Hüseyin Ersöz, stated that the legal elements of the alleged crime did not form and that the judicial control measures imposed on his client were unlawful.

Ersöz said, “My client is being accused based on an eight-second clip taken out of context. The investigation report contains incomplete and inaccurate information. Despite the absence of intent to commit a crime, the excessive judicial control measures imposed on my client during the investigation stage not only restrict her fundamental rights and freedoms but also pave the way for censorship of the free press,” and requested acquittal.

The prosecutor, presenting their final opinion on the case, requested that Gürses be punished for the impugned crime and that the judicial control measure against her be lifted.

In response to the opinion, lawyer Ersöz stated, “The prosecutor presented an opinion that was a repetition of the indictment without taking our defenses into account. The prosecutor’s office should have evaluated the analysis report on the publication, which is also included in the court file, as a whole. My client did not act with the intent to commit a crime.”

Enes Hikmet Ermaner, another lawyer for Gürses, said, “The prosecutor copied and pasted from the indictment and presented their opinion on the case prepared before the hearing. This is unacceptable both legally and morally,” and requested acquittal.

When asked for her final statement, Gürses said, “As far as I can tell from the opinion, the prosecutor did not even watch a single minute of the broadcast. I wish the honorable prosecutor had watched it. I am being tried for a crime I never committed. I demand my acquittal.”

The court sentenced Gürses to 1 year and 3 months in prison for the impugned crime. The sentence was deferred. The judicial control measure against Gürses was also lifted.

Background of the case

The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office had initiated an investigation on its own initiative against journalist Özlem Gürses over statements she made in a video published on her YouTube channel TV OZ, in which she said, “As you can see, the ISIS structure, that is, the TSK-SMO structure, has made small gains in regions where Kurds live.”

As part of the investigation, Gürses was detained in Ankara on 20 December 2024, and brought to İstanbul. After being held in custody at Vatan Police Station for one night, Gürses was transferred to Çağlayan Courthouse the next day.

Gürses gave a statement to the prosecutor's office on charges of “denigrating state institutions and organs” and “spreading false information,” and was referred to the criminal court with a request for pre-trial detention.

The İstanbul 3rd Criminal Court of Peace ruled that Gürses be placed under house arrest and banned from leaving the country.

The house arrest decision against Gürses was lifted 51 days later, after which the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office filed an indictment against her on the charge of “publicly denigrating the state's military organization.”