6 February 2025

The Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance proceeded with the second hearing of the trial against BirGün reporter İsmail Arı on charges of “insult” (Turkish Penal Code, Article 125) and “defamation” (Article 267), filed upon the complaint of Levent Uysal, a Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) MP for Mersin and founder of the Nişantaşı Education Foundation.Arı attended the hearing together with his lawyer Tolgay Güvercin, while the complainant Uysal was represented by lawyer Ferhat Pamuk. The court accepted the complainant’s request to participate in the proceedings on the grounds of a “possibility of harm resulting from the crime.” The hearing was adjourned until 10 July 2025.

2 April 2025

At the second hearing of the trial where BirGün reporter İsmail Arı is charged with “insult” and “defamation” upon the complaint of MHP Mersin MP and Nişantaşı Educational Foundation founder Levent Uysal, both Arı and his lawyer Tolgay Güvercin, as well as the complainant’s lawyer Ferhat Pamuk, were present. The İstanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance accepted the complainant’s request to intervene in the trial. The next hearing is scheduled for 10 July 2025.