Trial has been adjourned until 29 January 2025 in the case that has lasted for almost eight years

BÜŞRA TAŞKIRAN, ANKARA 

The sixth hearing in the retrial of journalist Hayri Demir on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” and “terrorism propaganda” was held at the Ankara 15th High Criminal Court on 20 November 2024.

Hayri Demir was present at the hearing, which P24 monitored. Demir’s lawyer submitted an excuse not to attend. 

The prosecutor’s final opinion on the case was expected at this hearing.  However, the newly-assigned prosecutor requested time to examine the case file and to draft their final opinion on the case.

The court accepted the request and adjourned the trial until 29 January 2025. 

Background of the case

The initial case against Demir on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” and “terrorism propaganda” was filed in 2017 over his reporting from Syria. The trial was concluded in December 2022 and Demir was sentenced to 2 years 9 months and 22 days of imprisonment for “terrorism propaganda.” 

While the defense appealed against the verdict, the Ankara Chief Prosecutor’s Office began an investigation against Demir on suspicion of “membership in an armed PKK/KCK/YPG/YDG-H terrorist organization” in 2023. The appellate court overturned the initial verdict on grounds of legal necessity of merging the case file with the investigation. The appellate court also ruled that Demir’s imprisonment sentence for “terrorism propaganda” should be increased by half with the application of “provisions on repeated offence” and returned the case to the court of first instance for a retrial.

The retrial began with the merger of the initial case overturned by the appellate court and the new investigation