The court, which has acquitted journalist Şule Aydın of all charges, has sentenced Barış Pehlivan and Murat Ağırel to 1 year and 3 months in prison for “spreading false information” and Timur Soykan to 10 months in prison for “violation of confidentiality”

EYLEM SONBAHAR, ISTANBUL

Journalists Timur Soykan, Barış Pehlivan, Şule Aydın, and Murat Ağırel were tried on charges of “disseminating misleading information,” “violation of confidentiality,” and “publicly insulting religious values embraced by a segment of the public.”

The eighth hearing in the trial of journalists Timur Soykan, Barış Pehlivan, Şule Aydın, and Murat Ağırel on charges of “spreading false information,” “violation of confidentiality,” and “insulting the religious values embraced by a segment of the public,” was held at the Bakırköy 34th Criminal Court of First Instance on 14 April 2026.

The hearing, which began two hours late, was not attended by journalists. With lawyers Özge Naz Akkaya, Gamze Pamuk, and Buse Şahin present, the prosecutor reiterated their final opinion they had submitted on 12 March 2026, in which he sought criminal penalties against the journalists.

“The opinion lacks legal basis”

Beginning her defense by stating that she was reiterating her written defense regarding the prosecutor’s opinion, Şule Aydın’s lawyer Gamze Pamuk said, “We are faced with an opinion that lacks legal basis. No concrete act has been established regarding our client. The material elements of the crime have not been established. Our client acted as a moderator in the incident in question. She performed her duties within the boundaries of criminal law and freedom of expression. We are requesting an acquittal.”

“The actions were carried out within the scope of journalistic activity”

Buse Şahin, the lawyer for Barış Pehlivan and Timur Soykan, also stated, “There is no clear connection in the indictment or the legal opinion regarding which crime stems from which action. None of our clients’ statements in the publication that has been turned into a criminal charge constitute a crime. The crime of violating the confidentiality of the investigation has not been committed. For misleading information to exist, there must be both misleading information and an environment conducive to disrupting public peace. In this case, neither misleading information nor an environment conducive to disrupting public peace has been established. Our clients acted entirely within the scope of journalistic activities; we demand their acquittal.”

“The statements align with observable reality”

Lawyer Özge Naz Akkaya, noting that there is no misleading information in her client Murat Ağırel’s statements, said, “My client’s statements on the program are based on the president’s remarks regarding trade with Israel, TÜİK data, and news reports from institutions such as Anadolu Agency. The statements align with observable reality. There was no intent to create fear or anxiety among the public. There are Court of Cassation’s precedents establishing that the term ‘political Islam’ cannot be considered a crime of ‘publicly insulting religious values.’ Regarding the crime of violation of confidentiality, the incident in question—which is a matter of public record—was shared within the framework of journalistic activity. This post falls under the public’s right to information. We are requesting an acquittal on all three charges.”

Following the defenses, the court ruled to acquit Şule Aydın of the charges of “violation of confidentiality” and “spreading false information,” as the legal elements of the crimes were not established.

The court acquitted Timur Soykan of the charges of “publicly disseminating misleading information” and “publicly insulting religious values embraced by a segment of the public,” but sentenced him to 10 months in prison for the charge of “violation of confidentiality.” The sentence was deferred.

In its ruling regarding Barış Pehlivan, the court acquitted him of the charge of “violation of confidentiality” but sentenced him to 1 year and 3 months in prison for the charge of “publicly disseminating misleading information.”

In the case where Murat Ağırel was acquitted of the charges of “violation of confidentiality” and “publicly insulting religious values embraced by a segment of the public,” Ağırel was sentenced to 1 year and 3 months in prison for the charge of “publicly disseminating misleading information.”

Background of the case

An indictment had been filed against four journalists, including the program’s moderator Şule Aydın, over statements made during the program titled “Şule Aydın ile Kayda Geçsin,” which aired on Halk TV on 8 October 2024. The indictment filed on 23 July 2025 against the journalists cited the transcribed version of the program, alleging that the boundaries of criticism, press freedom, and freedom of thought had been exceeded.

In the indictment, Barış Pehlivan and Şule Aydın were charged with “spreading false information” and “violation of confidentiality,” while Murat Ağırel and Timur Soykan were charged with “spreading false information,” “violation of confidentiality,” and “publicly insulting religious values embraced by a segment of the public.”

The basis for the charges was the claim that statements were made during the program suggesting that former ministers and members of parliament were acting in collusion with criminals, and that this constituted the crime of “spreading false information.”

Murat Ağırel and Timur Soykan’s remarks, “Political Islamists worship green,” were also cited in the indictment as grounds for the charge of “publicly insulting the religious values embraced by a segment of the public.”

The indictment further included the following statements:

"The suspects committed the crime of publicly spreading false information by portraying exports from Turkey to war-torn Palestine as if they were being made, while in reality, products under state control—specifically steel ore intended for use in weapons manufacturing—were being sent to Israel.

It has been determined that suspect Barış Pehlivan committed the crime of spreading false information through the following statements: 'Currently, out of 10,000 judges, the majority are former AKP lawyers who have brought their previous professional relationships and connections from their time as AKP lawyers into their roles as judges—do you understand? They can release people in exchange for bribes or embezzlement.’ It has been determined that he committed the crime of spreading false information with these statements."