Journalist Perihan Erkılınç Okay, who was arrested on May 2 on charges of “membership in an illegal organization,” was released on bail with judicial supervision at her first hearing before the Istanbul 23rd Heavy Penal Court.
Okay was being tried on the basis of her social media posts, May 1st calls, and witness statements. At the hearing, the witness statements, which were the main basis of the indictment, were contradictory; Zeki Varol, who was presented as a secret witness, denied Okay’s previous allegations, stating that he did not know her.
Okay, who said he had celiac disease and asthma, emphasized that prison conditions had negatively affected his health. The court ruled for his release, imposing a ban on leaving the country and an obligation to sign in. The trial was postponed until February 2, 2026.
November 12, 2025
MLSA