The fifth hearing of journalist Mehmet Şahin’s retrial on charges of “membership in an illegal organization” was held at the Diyarbakır 5th Heavy Penal Court. Şahin and his lawyer Resul Tamur were present at the hearing.
Lawyer Tamur requested that the deficiencies be remedied and that the ban on leaving the country, which has been in place since 2018, be lifted. The prosecution also requested that the missing issues be completed.
The court decided to continue the seven-year ban on leaving the country and postponed the hearing to February 17.
**Case history:**
A case was filed against Şahin in 2018 on charges of “establishing and leading an organization,” citing his participation in press statements and marches, his Kurdish speeches at DTK meetings as a member of TZP Kurdî, secret witness statements, his interviews with DTK executives on TV programs, and text messages received on his phone.
On February 10, 2022, the Diyarbakır 5th Heavy Penal Court sentenced Şahin to 6 years and 3 months in prison on charges of “membership in an organization.” The Court of Appeals overturned the decision and stated that the case was connected to the case in which Şahin was tried with 20 journalists at the Diyarbakır 4th High Criminal Court.
The case at the 4th High Criminal Court, in which he was tried for his news coverage and programs for foreign television channels, was merged with the current case file.
November 13, 2025
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