Osman Akın, the responsible managing editor of Yeni Yaşam newspaper, is accused of “successively disseminating propaganda for a terrorist group”

Journalist Osman Akın, the responsible managing editor of the Yeni Yaşam newspaper, appeared in an Istanbul court on 20 June 2019 for the first hearing of his trial on the charge of “successively disseminating terrorist propaganda.”

Akın is accused over the newspaper’s coverage of the recent hunger strikes in prisons.

P24 monitored the hearing at the 28th High Criminal Court of Istanbul, where Akın and his lawyer, Özcan Kılıç, were in attendance.

Addressing the court for his defense statement, Akın denied the allegations and requested to be acquitted. If convicted, Akın said he would accept a deferred sentence.

Akın’s lawyer Kılıç told the court that they would be making their final defense statement later and requested a continuance.

The prosecutor then submitted their final opinion of the case, arguing that Akın had “systematically disseminated propaganda” by publishing news reports titled “Direnişte 100 gün” (100 days in resistance) and “Asrın Hukuk Bürosu PKK lideri Öcalan’ın İmralı’daki 20 yılını gazetemize değerlendirdi” (Asrin Law Office comments on PKK leader Öcalan’s 20 years in İmralı). He requested Akın to be sentenced.