The court decided to hear two witnesses in the trial of Pehlivan, who is charged with “defamation” and “insult” following a complaint by Court of Cassation member Yüksel Kocaman, and adjourned the case until 26 January

TANSU PİŞKİN, ISTANBUL

The hearing in the case in which journalist Barış Pehlivan is on trial on charges of “defamation” and “insult” following a complaint by Court of Cassation member Yüksel Kocaman was held at the Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance on 17 September 2026.

Pehlivan’s lawyer, Özge Naz Akkaya, was present at the hearing, which was monitored by P24. Pehlivan himself did not attend the hearing.

Lawyer Akkaya reiterated the request for the two witnesses, Ali İhsan Akdoğan and Burhan Tezcan, to be heard as previously stated at the hearing on 4 February.

The court accepted the request to hear the witnesses and adjourned the case until 26 January 2027.

Background of the case

Journalist Pehlivan is on trial over an article titled “Katilleri açıklıyorum” (I am revealing the killers) published in the Cumhuriyet newspaper on 22 September 2023.

In the article, Pehlivan addressed the response given by Yüksel Kocaman, a member of the Court of Cassation, to journalist Seyhan Avşar regarding allegations that Ayhan Bora Kaplan had purchased a villa and a car for him; he also wrote about allegations concerning interventions in the murder trial of Ömer Faruk Ilıcan, Chairman of the Kalegaz Board of Directors, which took place whilst Kocaman was serving as Chief Public Prosecutor of Ankara.

In the indictment dated 4 January 2024, drawn up following Kocaman’s complaint, it was stated that Pehlivan had “made abstract allegations, failed to provide any concrete information or documentation to substantiate the accuracy of these allegations, and that the plaintiff had rejected all of these allegations,” and sought a sentence on the offenses of “publicly insulting a public official in connection with their duties” and “defamation.