Yılmaz is on trial on charges of “publicly denigrating the Republic of Turkey” over a news article titled "Armenian youths speak up: A 109-year-long mourning"

CANSU PİŞKİN, ISTANBUL

The second hearing in the trial of journalist Tuğçe Yılmaz on charges of “publicly denigrating the Republic of Turkey” was held at the at the Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance on 21 April 2026. Yılmaz is on trial over the article titled “Türkiyeli Ermeni gençler anlatıyor: 109 yıldır süren yas” (Armenian youths speak up: A 109-year-long mourning.)

Yılmaz and her lawyer, Deniz Yazgan, were present at the hearing, which was monitored by P24.

The prosecutor, presenting their final opinion on the case, requested that Yılmaz be punished for the impugned crime.

Yılmaz and her lawyer, Yazgan, requested time to prepare a defense against the prosecutor’s final opinion. The court granted the request and postponed the trial until 20 October 2026.

Background of the case

Following an article titled “Armenian Youth in Turkey Speak Out: A Mourning That Has Lasted 109 Years,” published on bianet.org on 24 April 2024, an anonymous individual filed a complaint against Yılmaz with Presidential Communication Center (CİMER.) In their complaint, the informant stated, “The term ‘genocide’ is used on the bianet website regarding the 1915 events to incite the public to hatred and hostility, and the same news site engages in terrorism advocacy and propaganda.” The report was investigated by the Security Branch of the Istanbul Police Department, and the indictment dated 13 March 2025, was sent to the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, initiating the investigation against Yılmaz.

Following the Ministry of Justice’s General Directorate of Criminal Affairs granting permission for the investigation on 16 April 2025, the Press Crimes Investigation Bureau of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office initiated an investigation against Yılmaz on charges of “publicly denigrating the Republic of Turkey.” The prosecution, claiming that Yılmaz’s “unavailability” prevented her defense from being heard, requested an arrest warrant for the journalist from the Istanbul On-Duty Criminal Court of First Instance. The Istanbul 4th Criminal Court of First Instance issued an arrest warrant on 26 May 2025 to take Yılmaz’s statement.

The indictment against Yılmaz was finalized on 2 June 2025. In the indictment, which was prepared without taking her statement, it was argued that the statements in the article in question exceeded the bounds of criticism, damaged the honor and dignity of the state, and therefore could not be evaluated under the scope of freedom of expression. It was argued that the text contained insults and degrading language, did not contribute to society, and was intended to publicly humiliate the state.

The prosecution concluded that there was “sufficient suspicion” to warrant the filing of a public prosecution against Yılmaz based on these assessments. While noting that the content qualifies as a periodical publication under the Press Law, it was stated that public prosecutions could also be filed against suspects whose defenses could not be heard, citing Supreme Court rulings.

Yılmaz was detained on 3 June 2025, during a criminal record check in Kadıköy, Istanbul. On 4 June, she was transferred to the Istanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan and released after giving her statement to the prosecutor.

The first hearing was held on 2 December 2025. In her defense, Yılmaz stated that she was being tried based solely on a complaint filed by a single individual with CİMER, adding, “We do not know this person’s mental health, and I believe they are racist. However, I was detained while walking down the street solely because of this person’s report.”