The 11th hearing in the case in which journalist Sedef Kabaş was tried on a charge of “insulting the President” over 25 social media posts was held at Istanbul Anatolian 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance. Kabaş did not attend the hearing. Lawyer Mehmet İnal, representing President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, requested punishment, while Kabaş’s lawyer Selen Sınmaz sought acquittal. At the previous hearing, the court had proposed merging Kabaş’s case with another case before Istanbul 36th Criminal Court of First Instance. That court, however, rejected the request for merger. Istanbul Anatolian 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance sent the file to the appellate court to resolve the dispute between the two courts. In the case filed in 2023, prosecutors alleged that Kabaş’s social media posts contained intent to insult. Kabaş denied the charges. The journalist had previously been sentenced to two years and four months in prison on the same charge and was released in March 2022 after spending 49 days in detention.
8 October 2026
Dicle Fırat Gazeteciler Derneği