The trial of BirGün executives İbrahim Aydın, Uğur Koç and Yaşar Gökdemir, who are being prosecuted for a news story mentioning the name of İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek, began at 12:00. The court is expected to announce its decision during the hearing.
The third hearing of the trial of BirGün Board Chairman İbrahim Aydın, birgun.net Publication Coordinator Uğur Koç, and former birgun.net Editor-in-Chief Yaşar Gökdemir, who are being tried for a news story mentioning İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek, will be held today. The hearing, which will take place at 11:20 a.m. at the İstanbul 23rd Heavy Penal Court, is expected to result in the court panel issuing its decision.
WHAT HAS HAPPENED?
birgun.net Publication Coordinators Uğur Koç and Berkant Gültekin, along with Editor-in-Chief Yaşar Gökdemir, were detained on 8 February 2025 for reporting on the Sabah newspaper’s visit to İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek. The three were transferred to the courthouse the following day. Berkant Gültekin was released by the prosecutor’s office, while Uğur Koç and Yaşar Gökdemir were released under judicial control, including a travel ban and the requirement to sign in, as ordered by the magistrate’s court to which they were referred.
The first hearing took place on 30 June 2025. At the first hearing, the court decided to postpone the case until the opinion on the merits was prepared, postponing it until 22 September.
At the second hearing on 22 September, the prosecutor’s office presented its opinion. The court accepted the request of Akın Gürlek and his lawyer to participate in the case and postponed the hearing until Wednesday, 22 October. Aydın, Koç and Gökdemir face charges of “publicly insulting a public official” and “targeting terrorist organisations”, for which they could be sentenced to between two and five years in prison.
It is also requested that the three individuals be deprived of certain rights under Article 53 of the Turkish Penal Code, known as the “political ban”.
Meanwhile, T24 reporter Asuman Aranca was sentenced to 10 months in prison on charges of ‘breach of confidentiality’ in a case brought against her for reporting on the expert report regarding the murder of former Ülkü Ocakları President Sinan Ateş.
