MEDIA MONITORING DATABASE
Trial of 5 journalists over trustee-assignment protests in Mardin – Rojda Aydın
RELATED PERSON OR INSTITUTION
Rojda Aydın
CITY
Mardin
YEAR OF INTERFERENCE
2019
LAST UPDATED
20/10/2021
TYPE OF STATEMENT
Political
MEDIUM
Internet
News Agency
THE TITLE OF WHOSE RIGHT IS INTERFERED
Journalist
RIGHTS GUARANTEED UNDER THE RIGHT OF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
Right to Impart Information and Ideas
TYPE OF INTERFERENCE
Judicial Interference
Criminal Courts
Decision of acquittal
THE LEGAL GROUNDS FOR INTERFERENCE
Other Laws

Mezopotamya Agency (MA) reporters Ahmet Kanbal and Mehmet Şah Oruç, Jinnews reporter Rojda Aydın and freelance journalists Nurcan Yalçın and Halime Parlak were detained while they were reporting the protests against appointment of trustees to three Metropolitan Municipalities in Mardin on August 20. They were released late in the evening yesterday after being in custody for seven days.

An investigation conducted by the Mardin Prosecutor’s Office on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” and “propagandizing for a terrorist organization” previously ended in a decision of non-prosecution.

A lawsuit has been filed against eight people including Ahmet Kanbal and Mehmet Şah Oruç, Jinnews website’s reporter Rojda Aydın and journalists Nurcan Yalçın and Halime Parlak on charge of “unarmed attendance in unlawful meetings and marches and not dispersing automatically despite warning”. The trial will be heard by the Mardin 1st Criminal Court of First Instance (November 19).

At the hearing held at the Mardin 1st Criminal Court of First Instance on April 27, 2021, the attorneys stated that the lawsuit was against the law and requested a ruling of acquittal. The next hearing will be held on October 13 (April 27).

At the hearing held on October 13, 2021, the court ruled that the file should be sent to the prosecutor’s office for the preparation of the final opinion as to the accusations. The next hearing will be held on October 20 (October 13). 

At the hearing held on October 20, 2021, the prosecutor demanded acquittal. The court board ruled that the journalists should be acquitted on the grounds that there was no definite and sufficient evidence as to the committal of the offense charged (October 20).