Soykan, who is on trial over social media posts criticizing operations targeting CHP-run municipalities, remains subject to international travel ban. The trial has been postponed until 16 June

EYLEM SONBAHAR, ISTANBUL

The first hearing in the trial of journalist Timur Soykan on charges of “spreading false information” and “incitement to commit crim” over two social media posts he shared following operations targeting CHP-run municipalities was held at the Istanbul 32nd Criminal Court of First Instance on 16 April 2026.

Soykan and his lawyer, Enes Ermaner, were present at the hearing, which was monitored by P24.

After his identity was verified, Soykan presented his defense and denied the charges against him. Soykan stated, “I have been a journalist for 27 years; my job is to write news and, as a citizen of the Republic of Turkey, to express my views. In these posts, I expressed my thoughts regarding operations targeting municipalities. This is my constitutional right. However, the charge against me is ‘publicly disseminating misleading information.’ These posts are not information or news. I should not be facing such a charge simply for my opinions. The other charge against me is ‘incitement to commite a crime.’ In my tweets, I stated that the public must protect their rights. I do not understand how this constitutes incitement to commit a crime. I do not accept the charges; I stand by my thoughts. I demand my acquittal.”

Following Soykan, the statements of his lawyer, Ermaner, were heard. Ermaner, noting that he wished to address procedural irregularities during the investigation, said: “After my client shared the post in the morning, an investigation was initiated against him by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office’s Terrorism Crimes Investigation Bureau. It remains unclear how law enforcement determined my client’s presence in Taksim when he was detained there in the evening. There is no record of technical or physical surveillance in the case file. My client was detained as if he were a suspect suspected of fleeing, despite his location being determined in violation of procedure. My client was held in custody for one day and subsequently referred to the prosecutor’s office for detention. The magistrate’s court ruled to place him under judicial control measure, which includes a ban on leaving the country. During the investigation, a record was filed by the Terrorism Crimes Investigation Bureau, and the case was transferred to the Press Prosecutor’s Office on the grounds that it fell within the jurisdiction of the Press Crimes Investigation Bureau.”

Continuing his statement by asserting that the posts in question did not contain information but rather his client’s commentary, Ermaner stated, “There is no information here that could constitute the subject of a crime. Since there is no information present, it cannot be argued that it is misleading, nor do we see any need to discuss the other elements of the crime. Additionally, my client is facing a charge of ‘incitement to commit a crime.’ The allegations in the indictment are entirely the prosecution’s attempt to read minds. Both posts fall within the scope of freedom of thought and expression. Under our laws, expressing one’s thoughts is not criminalized. We request the lifting of the judicial control measure and a ruling for my client’s acquittal.”

The court decided to send the case file to the prosecutor’s office for the preparation of the opinion on the case, and to maintain the international travel ban on Soykan.

The trial was postponed until 16 June 2026.

Bakcground of the case

Journalist Timur Soykan was detained on 5 July 2025 over his X posts regarding operations targeting CHP-run municipalities. Soykan, who was referred to court for detention, was released under judicial control measures requiring him to sign in and prohibiting him from leaving the country.

The indictment, dated 27 October 2025, and based on allegations of “spreading false information” and “incitement to commit a crime,” included two of Soykan’s social media posts.

The prosecution stated that Soykan’s post reading, “The regime is declaring that it no longer has any interest in convincing society of corruption operations. It tells the public, ‘You cannot choose any authority other than me. You are my captive,’ and the coup continues. The will of the people is being usurped. The meaning of the ballot box is lost” regarding investigations into crimes such as bribery, embezzlement, and bid-rigging, contained “misinformation and statements contrary to the truth.” It argued that this post was capable of disrupting public peace.

Regarding the statement in another post reading, “The people will either submit to this oppression and become slaves of the regime, growing even poorer, or they will defend their freedom, their rights, and their country,” the prosecutor assessed this as constituting the crime of “incitement to commit a crime” and included the following remarks: “The suspect’s post(s) are capable of influencing those who read them, and given the provocative nature of the content, the manner of expression, and the form of publication—which, despite ongoing investigations, carry the meaning of encouraging the public to take to the streets and inciting illegal actions—the suspect did not block access to the tweets in question, and individuals seeking to access them could do so; therefore, the element of public dissemination has been established...”