Uğur's trial, in which he is charged with “spreading false information” following a complaint by the Ministry of National Education, has been adjourned until 17 September

The first hearing in the trial of Cumhuriyet newspaper News Director Can Uğur, who is charged with “spreading false information” over his report regarding allegations of high school entry exam questions being stolen, was held at the Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance on 13 January 2026.

Uğur's lawyer, Enes Hikmet Ermaner, was present at the hearing, which was monitored by P24. Uğur did not attend the hearing.

Uğur's lawyer, Enes Hikmet Ermaner, requested that the indictment, which was issued four months ago but has not yet been delivered to his client, be served. Ermaner said they would prepare his client for the next hearing.

The court postponed the case until 17 September 2026, to allow Can Uğur to be present.

Background of the case

Uğur is being tried over a news article published by Cumhuriyet on 17 June 2025, titled: “1 milyon öğrencinin kaderiyle mi oynandı? LGS soruları sınav bitmeden WhatsApp grubunda paylaşıldı iddiası” (Was the fate of 1 million students gambled with? Allegations that LGS questions were shared in a WhatsApp group before the exam ended).

The report raised concerns about exam security and included an official statement from the Ministry of National Education. Following public debate, Minister Yusuf Tekin acknowledged that some questions had been shared “through unofficial channels” before the scheduled time, but argued that this did not constitute a breach significant enough to compromise the integrity of the exam.

The indictment seeks punishment on charges of “spreading false information” on the grounds that the report “caused concern in the public by means of false information.