Özgür Gündem daily was closed in past months, with a court verdict which had not been delivered to the daily and with a raid that resulted in the detention of the employees of the newspaper, with heavy police battery. There are over thirty lawsuits against the journalists, writers and intellectuals who were editors-in-chief for a day, as a part of the solidarity campaign for the freedom of press, against the pressures Özgür Gündem had to endure. The editors-in-chief on watch are accused of "terrorist organisation propaganda". Freedom of Expression Network Turkey continues to monitor the trials, saying "Journalism is not a crime!" You can follow the updated information on the cases through CTL database and the dates of the upcoming trials through CTL calendar.
50 investigations were started against the Editor-in-Chief On Watch campaign which had 56 participants. 36 of these investigations resulted in a lawsuit, 11 in nol-pros. In all trials, editor İnan Kızılkaya is a co-defendant.
Freedom of Expression Network Turkey invites you all to join the hearings through December and to reclaim the freedom of expression and of press, the fundamental conditions of democracy.
December 9, Istanbul Çağlayan Courthouse
14:00 – Derya Okatan – Özgür Gündem Editor-in-Chief on Watch Trial, 22. Assize Court
14:15- Nadire Mater- Özgür Gündem Editor-in-Chief on Watch Trial, 22. Assize Court
December 15, Istanbul Çağlayan Courthouse
10:30– Mehmet Ali Çelebi, İnan Kızılkaya, Hüseyin Aykol- Özgür Gündem Trial, 13. Assize Court
10:45 Beyza Üstün / İnan Kızılkaya- Özgür Gündem Editor-in-Chief on Watch Trial, 13. Assize Court
10:55 Murat Çelikkan – Özgür Gündem Editor-in-Chief on Watch Trial, 13. Assize Court
Ayşe Düzkan, Ragıp Zarakol- Özgür Gündem Editor-in-Chief on Watch Trial, 13. Assize Court
December 22, Istanbul Çağlayan Courthouse
14:30 Ayşe Batumlu – Özgür Gündem Editor-in-Chief on Watch Trial, 22. Assize Court
14:45 Can Dündar- Özgür Gündem Editor-in-Chief on Watch Trial, 22. Assize Court
15:00 Şanar Yurdatapan- Özgür Gündem Editor-in-Chief on Watch Trial, 22. Assize Court
15:10 Aydın Bodur- Özgür Gündem Editor-in-Chief on Watch Trial, 22. Assize Court
15:15 Veysi Altay, Hüseyin Sözügen- Özgür Gündem Editor-in-Chief on Watch Trial, 22. Assize Court
December 29, Istanbul Çağlayan Courthouse
Necmiye Alpay, Aslı Erdoğan – Özgür Gündem Trial, 23. Assize Court
Reyhan Çapan, Eren Keskin- Özgür Gündem Trial, 13. Assize Court
Note: In all Özgür Gündem trials, the newspaper's editor in chief İnan Kızılkaya is a c0-defendant.