Eight journalists and media workers are scheduled for court hearings across Turkey between October 21 and 23 in cases involving reporting, social media posts and protests, including two who could be sentenced to up to 14 years in prison over an interview conducted during an investigation into a child’s death.
Seven face criminal charges, while the eighth is involved in a civil damages lawsuit, according to a court calendar published by the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), a Turkish organization that monitors restrictions on press freedom and provides legal assistance to journalists.
One of the most serious cases involves journalist Canan Coşkun and documentary filmmaker Kazım Kızıl, who are being prosecuted over their investigation into the suspicious death of 11-year-old Rabia Naz Vatan in the Black Sea province of Giresun in 2018.
The two journalists and the girl’s father, Şaban Vatan, face prison sentences ranging from four to 14 years on charges of unlawfully depriving a witness of his liberty through force, threats or deception during an interview in November 2019. Kızıl also faces a separate charge of attempting to influence judicial proceedings.
The prosecution stems from allegations that the three pressured Mürsel Küçükal, a witness in the investigation into the girl’s death, during a re-enactment of events at the scene.
Coşkun and Kızıl deny the allegations, saying Küçükal voluntarily participated in the interview and that they attempted to stop the re-enactment when they became uncomfortable with it.
The first hearing is scheduled for October 22 at a court in Giresun’s Görele district. Coşkun and Kızıl are expected to give statements to courts in İstanbul and İzmir, respectively, under requests from the court handling the case.
Three journalists have hearings scheduled for October 21.
Journalist Fatoş Erdoğan is among 20 defendants accused of publicly inciting people to commit crimes in social media posts she published concerning the appointment of a trustee to the İstanbul branch of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).
Erdoğan has denied the accusation, saying her posts documented developments outside the party’s provincial headquarters. Prosecutors are seeking sentences ranging from six months to five years for the defendants.
Television presenter Rüstem Batum is being prosecuted for allegedly insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan through social media posts, while journalist Yusuf Çelik faces a charge of knowingly aiding an armed terrorist organization.
On October 22 journalist Fatma Sibel Gürcihan is scheduled for a hearing in İstanbul on charges of publicly disseminating misleading information in a social media post concerning former Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak.
Journalist Faruk Arhan also has a hearing scheduled for October 22 in a civil lawsuit seeking compensation for alleged nonmaterial damages filed by Zehra Taşkesenlioğlu, a former lawmaker from President Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
The lawsuit concerns a social media post by Arhan criticizing Taşkesenlioğlu. Unlike the criminal cases, the proceedings involve a claim for financial compensation rather than a prison sentence.
The final hearing, scheduled for October 23, involves journalist Can Öztürk, who is accused of violating Turkey’s law on public assemblies and demonstrations in connection with protests at Boğaziçi University in İstanbul.
Three other journalists whose hearings were originally scheduled for October 20 had their hearings postponed to later dates.
Journalist Bircan Değirmenci, who is being prosecuted in Diyarbakır on charges of disseminating terrorist propaganda in social media posts dating back to 2015, had her hearing postponed until January 26, 2027.
The trial involving journalists Gözde Şeker and İbrahim Kahveci, accused of insult and making false accusations following a complaint by Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), was postponed until November 4, 2026. The allegations stem from comments made during a June 2024 broadcast on Halk TV concerning the murder of Sinan Ateş, a former leader of the MHP-affiliated nationalist youth organization known as the Grey Wolves. The journalists deny the accusations.
