At the third hearing, following the correction of the flawed indictment, the court has lifted the defendants’ judicial supervision measures and postponed the case until 21 October

CANAN COŞKUN, ISTANBUL

The third hearing in the trial of 20 people, including journalist Fatoş Erdoğan, who is on trial for sharing posts on social media regarding the events that began with a police raid following the appointment of Gürsel Tekin as trustee to the CHP Istanbul Provincial Directorate in September 2025, on charges of “inciting the people to commit a crime” was held at the Istanbul 9th Criminal Court of First Instance on 3 June 2026.

The hearing, monitored by P24, was held in the courtroom of the Istanbul 14th High Criminal Court due to the large number of defendants. Fourteen defendants free pending trial, including Fatoş Erdoğan, and their lawyers were present at the hearing.

The prosecutor who drafted the flawed indictment became chief prosecutor

In the initial indictment filed by the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office, the prosecutor had sought punishment for the crime of “inciting the people to commit a crime,” but at the end of the indictment, he had also added a charge of “inciting the public to hatred and hostility. It had also come to light that the indictment had been copied from the indictment of the satirical program “Soğuk Savaş” (Cold War) on YouTube. For this reason, it was unclear which charge had been brought against the defendants. Consequently, the same prosecutor corrected the initial indictment with a supplementary indictment prior to the third hearing. In the supplementary indictment, the defendants were charged solely with “incitement to commit a crime.” Consequently, the presiding judge announced that the defendants’ statements would be taken again.

In response, the defendants reiterated their defenses, denied the charges against them, and requested acquittal. The defendants stated that they could not understand how the social media posts in question constituted a crime against them and that this situation also restricted their right to a defense. The defendants requested the lifting of the judicial supervision measure in the form of an international travel ban.

The defendants’ lawyer also stated that the three pillars that constituted the absurdity in this case were the judge who issued the detention order, the prosecutor who prepared the indictment, and the judge presiding over the case. The lawyers emphasized that the prosecutor who prepared the flawed indictment had been appointed as chief prosecutor in the Kumluca district of Antalya.

Journalist Fatoş Erdoğan stated that since she did not know why she was being charged, she did not know how to mount her defense. Recalling that Sedat Peker, the leader of a criminal organization, was acquitted despite threatening academics, and that a decision of non-prosecution was issued regarding Sevda Noyan, who compiled a death list, Erdoğan said the following:

“I am a journalist. I covered the events there for two days, shared tweets and videos, and described what was happening. I might have posted 30 tweets, but the prosecutor selected three of them. How is writing ‘Özgür Çelik rolled up his sleeves’ a crime? Who am I calling out? Where is the violence? Who did I incite to commit a crime? I was exposed to violence simply for being in that area, and I shared the footage with you. Despite having a press pass around my neck, they fired at me from close range—aiming to take my life. The scars are still visible on my body. I also filed a criminal complaint against these individuals. For the first time in my life, I thought I would not be able to leave that place. I am telling you this so you can imagine. People did not know where to go, and the state was coming down on them with all its might. I am being tried for journalistic activities, and journalism is not a crime."

Erdoğan’s lawyer, Elif Ergin, also stated that an immediate acquittal should be issued for her client, noting that this case violates the public’s right to information.

The court decided to lift the international travel ban—a form of judicial supervision—imposed on the defendants. The judge ruled that defendants whose statements had not been taken must be present at the next hearing and rejected requests to separate the case regarding those defendants. The judge, who lifted the defendants’ obligation to attend the hearing, postponed the case until 21 October 2026.

Background of the case

Incidents erupted following the court’s appointment of Gürsel Tekin as a trustee to the CHP Istanbul Provincial Headquarters in September 2025. During Gürsel Tekin’s attempt to enter the CHP Istanbul Provincial Headquarters with riot police, numerous people were beaten and subjected to harsh police intervention. Following the incidents, the General Directorate of Security (EGM) announced that it had initiated proceedings against 39 individuals on the grounds that they had made “provocative posts” as part of the protests.

Subsequently, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office filed an indictment against 20 individuals—including journalist Fatoş Erdoğan, Ebru Oruç, the owner of the YouTube channel “Sokak Kedisi,” Abdullah Esin, a detained Boğaziçi University graduate student, and academic Emrah Gülsunar—on charges of “openly inciting the people to commit a crime.”

It was revealed that the indictment was a copy of the one filed against Boğaç Soydemir, one of the hosts of the satirical program “Soğuk Savaş” on YouTube, and a guest on the show. As part of the case, three defendants had been held in custody for 57 days.