Court rejects objection to confiscation of Dündar’s assets; trial adjourned until 4 December for Dündar’s final defense statement

CANSU PİŞKİN, ISTANBUL

The 11th hearing in exiled journalist Can Dündar’s retrial in the “MİT trucks case” took place on 14 October 2020 at the 14th High Criminal Court of Istanbul. 

Dündar, the former editor-in-chief of Cumhuriyet daily, is on trial over the newspaper’s May 2015 coverage of allegations that Turkey transferred arms to insurgents in Syria on trucks operated by the National Intelligence Agency (MİT).

Dündar, who lives in Germany, was represented in the courtroom by his lawyer Abbas Yalçın. A lawyer representing President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who is a participant in the case, was also in attendance. The hearing was closed to the public.

Addressing the court during the hearing, Dündar’s lawyer asked the panel to rule on their motion seeking the cancellation of the court’s 7 October 2020 interim ruling declaring Dündar a “fugitive” and ordering the permanent seizure of Dündar’s assets.

The prosecutor then presented his final opinion, asking the court to convict Dündar of “obtaining information that must be kept confidential for reasons relating to the security or domestic or foreign political interests of the State, for the purpose of political or military espionage” (TCK 328) and “knowingly and willingly aiding a terrorist organization without being its member” (TCK 220/7).

Issuing an interim ruling at the end of the hearing, the court rejected the objection against the ruling declaring Dündar a fugitive and ordering the seizure of his assets. Granting time for the preparation of the final statements, the court adjourned the trial until 4 December 2020.