Yıldız Tar, a former editor for Etkin News Agency (ETHA) and a program producer and presenter at Özgür Radyo, has worked as an editor and reporter for the LGBTI+ news portal Kaos GL since 2014. Tar, who is currently the editor-in-chief of Kaos GL, also drafts the annual media monitoring reports of the Kaos GL Association and is a contributor for various newspapers, books and online publications.

Trial on “violating the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations” charge

Tar was violently taken into custody by the police with reverse handcuffs along with journalists Sibel Yükler and Deniz Nazlım as they were heading towards Ulus Square in Ankara on 5 July 2022 to take part in a planned press statement by Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFG) and Mesopotamia Women Journalists Platform (MKGP) to protest the arrest of 16 journalists in Diyarbakır on 16 June 2022.

The press statement was blocked by the Ankara Police Department, which cited another press statement planned to take place at the same time and place under permission from the Ankara Governor’s Office. Tar, Yükler and Nazlım were released later that day after their statements were taken. An investigation was subsequently launched against the three journalists on the allegation of “violating the Law No. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations.”

Tar, Yükler and Nazlım filed complaints with the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in November 2022 against the law enforcement officers who violently detained them. However, in April 2023, the public prosecutor dropped the investigation, citing “lack of sufficient evidence.”

The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Offıce issued an indictment against Tar, Yükler and Nazlım on 8 June 2023, charging the three journalists with “participating in an unlawful demonstration and not dispersing despite warnings” as per the Law No. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations.

Claiming that the press statement regarding the arrested journalists was “unlawful” because another press statement by the East Turkestan Research Foundation and the Uyghur Academy Foundation that had been approved by the Governor’s Office was to take place at the same place and time, the prosecutor who drafted the indictment argued that the journalists “persistently refused to leave the area” and “encouraged and provoked the public to hold illegal demonstrations” and requested that the journalists be sentenced.

The indictment was accepted by the Ankara 71st Criminal Court of First Instance.

The first hearing of the trial was held on 9 January 2024.

P24 monitored the hearing, which was attended by Tar, Yükler, Nazlım and their lawyers.

Ruling to conduct further investigation in line with the defense lawyers’ requests, the court decided to inquire of the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office about the criminal complaint filed by the journalists against the law enforcement officers, which resulted in the dismissal of charges; to inquire of the Ankara Police Department about the full camera footage of the incident; to have an expert examine the footage; to inquire of the Ankara Governor’s Office about whether protests, demonstrations, press statements etc. in Ulus Square were banned on 5 July 2022, and whether a notification had been made regarding the press statement mentioned in the indictment.

The court set 25 April 2024 as the date for the second hearing.

Investigation on allegation of “marking those assigned with the fight against terrorism as a target”

An investigation was launched against Yıldız Tar by the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office on the allegation of “marking persons assigned with the fight against terrorism as a target” on account of Tar’s article published on the Artı Gerçek news portal on 28 July 2023.

In their article, Tar had criticized the detention of five journalists, and the subsequent imprisonment of Fırat Can Arslan, for sharing on social media a decision by the Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK) concerning the relocations of a public prosecutor who filed the indictment against 18 journalists detained in Diyarbakır in June 2022 and the prosecutor’s spouse, who was a judge on the panel of the criminal court that tried the journalists.

Tar was informed of the investigation when they were summoned to give their statement upon instructions from the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. Tar’s statement was taken on 22 November 2023 at the Ankara Police Department's Anti-Terrorism Branch. During their statement, Tar was asked questions such as “Why did you share this post?” and “Who are the individuals named Fırat Can Arslan, Sibel Yükler, Delal Akyüz, Evrim Kepenek and Evrim Deniz and what is your organizational relationship with these individuals?” Tar was released after their statement was taken.

Concluding the investigation in February 2024, the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office dropped the charge against Yıldız Tar. The prosecutor held that Tar's act subject to investigation was within the scope of journalism and the content of Tar's article was within the scope of freedom of the press.