Arı is being tried on charges of “insult” and “defamation” following a complaint by Levent Uysal, MHP Mersin Deputy and founder of the Nişantaşı Education Foundation

The fourth hearing in the trial of journalist İsmail Arı on charges of “insult”  and “defamation” following a complaint by Levent Uysal, MHP Mersin Deputy and founder of the Nişantaşı Education Foundation, was held at the Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance on 13 January 2026.

The hearing, monitored by P24, was attended by the lawyer representing the plaintiff, Uysal. Arı and his lawyer did not attend the hearing, citing reasons.

At the hearing held on 10 July 2025, Arı's lawyer stated that VakıfBank had filed a criminal complaint regarding the incident covered in the indictment and requested that the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office be questioned on this matter. The court accepted the request and decided to issue a writ to the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and to request information on whether any investigation had been conducted into the criminal complaint allegedly filed by VakıfBank. At the beginning of the hearing, the presiding judge stated that a response to the writ had been received.

Levent Uysal's lawyer, who was present, stated that the complaints were ongoing and requested that Arı be punished.

The court decided to examine the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office's response to the writ during the hearing and accepted Arı's lawyer's excuse. The court decided to proceed with the preliminary payment process for the “insult” offense. The trial was postponed until 22 September 2026.

Background of the case

In the indictment filed against Arı upon Uysal's complaint, the articles published in the BirGün newspaper on 19 January 2024, titled “MHP member snatched up land worth a fortune;” on 15 February 2024, titled “They rewarded fraud;” and “MHP Deputy Turns Out to Be a Serbian Citizen” published on 11 March 2024, as well as statements made by Arı as a guest on the “Close Follow-Up” program aired on Artı TV, are cited as evidence for the allegations.