Aram Publishing House's owner Hakkı Boltan and its employee Delil Zengeralp have appeared before the judge on the charge of “terrorism propaganda”

ARDIL BATMAZ, DİYARBAKIR

The trial of Aram Publishing House’s owner Hakkı Boltan, and his employee Delil Zengeralp, who are charged with “terrorism propaganda” following the seizure of two books at the Aram Publishing House stand in 2024, got underway at the Diyarbakır 4th High Criminal Court on 9 October 2025.

Hakkı Boltan, Delil Zengeralp, and their lawyer Resul Temur were present at the hearing, which was monitored by P24.

After his identity was verified, Hakkı Boltan presented his defense, stating that the publishing house prints works by many different authors and saying: "I am not familiar with the content of all the books we have published. I do not have the opportunity to know the authors of the books. Some of them reached us through their friends and family, and sent us the books. As a publisher, I evaluated the books to see if they could be read and sold. Until the investigation, I had no information that the books contained any criminal content."

Following Boltan, Delil Zengeralp, who presented his defense, stated that he worked as an office worker at Aram Publishing House and that he was not aware of the content of the books “Efrîn Resistance Diary” written by Hatip Dicle and “Dildare Serkeftina” (Lovers of Success) were confiscated at the TÜYAP book fair in Diyarbakır in 2024.

“The books were printed following legal procedures”

Boltan and Zengeralp's lawyer, Resul Temur, said that Aram Publishing House is a long-established publishing house that has printed the works of many local and foreign authors. Temur stated that the books in question were printed following legal procedures.

Explaining that it was normal for Kurdish politician Hatip Dicle's book to be printed and distributed, Temur said that Murat Aba was in prison, that the book had reached the publishing house through his family, and that the content of the book was based on excerpts from Aba's life. "When books are printed, the printer and all the information are included in the colophon. Every printing house submits a copy of the books they print to the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office on the day they are printed. This was also the case for these books,” Temur explained.

Temur stated that there had been no ban on the books in question until the day of the incident and that the content of the books should be evaluated within the scope of freedom of the press and expression. He requested the acquittal of his clients, stating that they were not criminally liable.

The court decided to issue a memorandum to the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office requesting the receipt for the books in question and to send the file to the prosecutor's office for the final opinion on the case to be filed. 

The trial was adjourned until 27 January 2026.

Background of the case

During a book fair held on 30 November 2024, at the Mesopotamia International Fair and Congress Center in the Yenişehir district of Diyarbakır, law enforcement officers conducted a general inspection. During the inspection, it was alleged that the book “Dildare Serkeftina” (Lovers of Success) by Mahmut Aba, located at the Aram Publications stand, contained “content constituting propaganda for PKK/KCK terrorist organization.” The Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office initiated an investigation against Delil Zengeralp, an employee of the publishing house present at the stand. Thirteen books at the stand were seized by order of the Diyarbakır 3rd Criminal Court of Peace on 3 December 2024.

On 4 December 2024, law enforcement officers conducting a general inspection at the Aram Yayınları stand at the fair again seized the book “Efrin Direniş Günlüğü” (Efrin Resistance Diary) was found to allegedly contain “content constituting propaganda for PKK/KCK terrorist organization,” and the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation into Delil Zengeralp, an employee of the publishing house at the stand. Six books at the stand were seized by order of the Diyarbakır 3rd Criminal Court of Peace on December 5, 2024.

The indictment prepared by the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office stated that Hatip Dicle had left the country in 2016 and that Mahmut Aba's identity could not be determined. The indictment requested that Hakkı Boltan, the owner of the publishing house, and his employee Delil Zengeralp, who were found criminally liable under Article 11/4 of Press Law No. 5187 due to the inability to identify the authors/their location abroad, be tried on charges of “terrorism propaganda."