The 30th hearing of the lawsuit filed against 23 people, including former employees of Etkin News Agency (ETHA), on charges of “illegal organization membership” and “making propaganda for an illegal organization” was held at Istanbul 27th Assize Court. The trial was adjourned to October 22, 2025 upon the request of the defendant lawyers for additional time.
The defendants did not attend the hearing and two plainclothes police officers were taken out of the courtroom upon the request of the lawyers. Representatives of the French Bar Association also followed the hearing. Lawyer İbrahim Ergün criticized the court’s approach to quickly conclude the case and demanded a decision on their written demands. Lawyer İlknur Alcan stated that the defendant lawyers were not responsible for the prolongation of the case.
It was stated that one of the defendants, Mehmet Aslan, is under arrest due to another case, and that two defendants were acquitted in a previous case for attending the funeral. These decisions were requested to be added to the file.
The court ruled to send a letter to law enforcement officers to determine whether there are any footage of some of the defendants taken on the relevant dates and to request the minutes of the demonstrations and commemorations from Istanbul TEM Branch Directorate. Foreign exit bans will remain in place.
May 9, 2025
Medya ve Hukuk Çalışmaları Derneği