Trial of journalist Berivan Kutlu, who is being prosecuted over her social media posts regarding the Maraş earthquakes, has been postponed because the prosecutor’s opinion has not yet been finalized

The 3rd hearing in the trial of journalist Berivan Kutlu on charges of “terrorism propaganda” over social media posts about Maraş earthquake was held at the Diyarbakır 4th High Criminal Court on 14 April 2026.

Resul Temur, Kutlu’s laywer, was present at the hearing monbitored by P24. Kutlu, however, did not attend the hearing.

At the previous hearing, it had been decided to refer the case file to the prosecutor’s office for the preparation of the final opinion.

The prosecutor stated that he had been unable to prepare their opinion for this hearing and requested an extension.

The court granted the prosecutor’s request, and adjourned the trial until 16 July 2026.

Background of the case

An indictment was filed against journalist Berivan Kutlu on charges of “terrorism propaganda” as part of an investigation launched on the grounds of her television broadcasts from the region after the earthquake that struck Maras on 6 February 2023. The indictment prepared by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office was sent to Diyarbakır with a decision of lack of jurisdiction.

The indictment cited the following statements made by journalist Berivan Kutlu during the broadcast as grounds for the charges: "Actually, it is not a full-fledged search and rescue operation, but rather an effort to cover up the evidence. The village guards coming from Şırnak are driving people away. They have essentially left people to die."

In an open-source investigation conducted by law enforcement on the internet, some posts made by Kutlu on her social media account were also considered as evidence of the crime.