At the second hearing of journalist Yusuf Çelik’s trial before Tunceli 1st High Criminal Court on a charge of “knowingly and willingly aiding an armed terrorist organization” over book sales, the prosecutor requested a prison sentence. The prosecutor treated Çelik’s sale of books at the Partizan stand during the 23rd Munzur Culture and Nature Festival as assistance to an organization and alleged that the books “İbrahim Kaypakkaya Bütün Eserleri,” “Saklanmaya Çalışılan Bir Meşale İbrahim Kaypakkaya” and “Alnında Güneşin Kızıllığını ve Sıcaklığını Taşıyanlara… Nergiz” contained organization propaganda. The court adjourned the hearing until 10:30 on 10 December 2026. Çelik said he had been covering the festival as a journalist when he helped sell books and newspapers and that he was detained without being shown an official decision or notification. He said he had faced three investigations and two cases over the same incident and had also received a 10-month prison sentence in a case opened over books without tax stamps.
2 November 2026
Bianet