The court has sent the case file concerning six individuals, including journalist Ender İmrek, who was held under house arrest for 100 days as part of the HDK investigation, to the prosecutor's office for the preparation of its final opinion on the case

EYLEM SONBAHAR, ISTANBUL

The second hearing in the trial of six people, including journalist Ender İmrek who was held under house arrest for 100 days as part of the Peoples' Democratic Congress (HDK) investigation, and lawyer Yıldız İmrek on the charge of “membership in a terrorist organization” was held at the Istanbul 23rd High Criminal Court on 10 December 2025.

The hearing, monitored by P24, began 45 minutes late. Ender İmrek, Yıldız İmrek, the other defendants, and their lawyers were present at the hearing.

The prosecutor requested that the missing issues be addressed and that the judicial control measures be continued.

After her identity was verified, Yıldız İmrek presented her defense, stating, "After 36 years in my profession, I cannot express how I feel to be here facing such an indictment. The acts and evidence alleged in the indictment do not fit within the fundamental principles of criminal law. I am a human rights defender, and as a lawyer with a responsibility to humanity and future generations, I have not remained indifferent to exploitation. The allegation of membership in a terrorist organization directed at me is completely untrue."

Emphasizing that there is no concrete evidence regarding the “membership in a terrorist organization” charge, Yıldız İmrek said, "This charge is being brought against me because I participated in the work of the HDK. I have been exercising my democratic rights as a member of the Labor Party since its establishment. All the other political parties that have joined forces under the name of the HDK, including the Labor Party, are legal political parties. The HDK's own objectives and activities consisted of press releases and congresses. These are activities in line with the requirements of a peaceful society. If the HDK were an illegal organization, it would probably not have been allowed to operate until now. After waiting 15 years, it is unacceptable to accuse all of these activities and those who carried them out of a crime."

Reminding that there is no court ruling that the HDK is a terrorist organization, Yıldız İmrek said, "Fundamental human rights were severely violated in this investigation. On the day of the arrest, there was a knock on our door. I told the police that I was a lawyer and asked them to call a bar representative. However, the police said they would break down the door if I did not open it, so I opened the door. I was not allowed to contact my lawyer. I learned that 50 people were detained at the branch that day."

“We are here because we exercised our constitutional rights.”

Following Yıldız İmrek, journalist Ender İmrek's defense began. İmrek said, "On this important day, 10 December World Human Rights Day, I am sitting in the defendant's chair. Unfortunately, we are here because of our thoughts, because we exercised our constitutional rights. Our rights and freedoms are under threat. We can be arrested at dawn simply for exercising our constitutional rights.”

Stating that the work of the HDK is being criminalized, Ender İmrek continued: “It is unacceptable to say that such a democratic platform was established by order and to associate it with an illegal organization. As a platform, the HDK acts with the common will of all its constituent institutions. The work we are involved in is a democratic right and is in no way a crime. Tapes obtained and destroyed by Fethullahist members of the judiciary are being presented to us 15 years later. The press statements I participated in are mentioned in the indictment; these are a right. The publication of my columns in the Evrensel newspaper on other websites is being portrayed as a crime. There is no court decision regarding these articles and publications either. The situation we face is one that should not exist in any democratic country. Our home was raided, our books were confiscated, and we were not allowed to communicate with our relatives. While in custody, with my hands cuffed, I slipped and fell on the wet floor, and this happened in an environment where the filming of the staged scene took place."

Pointing out that all of the writings listed as “crimes” in the indictment fall within the scope of freedom of expression, İmrek stated, “A decision in accordance with truth, law, and conscience must be made,” demanding his acquittal and the lifting of the ban on his leaving the country.

After the other defendants presented their defenses, the lawyers made their statements. Yıldız İmrek's lawyer, Bahri Bayram Belen, said, “The search conducted at my colleague's home and everything obtained there is unlawful. We believe the conditions for an immediate acquittal have been met; it is up to the court to decide.”

Ender İmrek's lawyer, Engin Deniz Ergin, also said, “The so-called evidence is from 14 years ago. No action has been taken for all this time, and these have been kept hidden. My client's legal political activities and journalism activities are being combined to accuse him of a crime.” Lawyer Ergin concluded his defense by requesting his client's acquittal.

The court rejected requests to lift the ban on leaving the country and decided to send the file to the prosecutor for the preparation of the opinion on the case. The trial was postponed until 15 April 2026.

Background of the case

Journalist-writer Ender İmrek and lawyer Yıldız İmrek were detained on 18 February 2025, during simultaneous house raids conducted as part of the HDK investigation. After four days in custody, they were transferred to the Istanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan on 21 February. After giving statements to the prosecutor and undergoing questioning by the magistrate, they were released on the condition of “not leaving their residence.”

The indictment against six people, including Ender and Yıldız İmrek, on the charge of “membership in a terrorist organization” was completed on 2 May 2025. The indictment stated that İmrek's name appeared in documents found in the digital materials of individuals detained on different dates, stating that “it has been determined that Ender İmrek's name appears as a member of EMEP among the members of the HDK Organization Committee.” İmrek's news articles published on the Evrensel newspaper's website and many other sites between 2010 and 2013, as well as all events and statements in which his name appeared, based on open-source research reports, were cited as evidence for the charges.