The Ankara correspondent of Artı TV, Sibel Hürtaş was taken into custody by police on 3 July 2020 in front of the Parliament as she was covering a sit-in by heads of bar associations, who have been demanding to participate in talks in the Parliamentary Justice Commission concerning a bill proposing major structural changes to the organization of bar associations (3 July).

A lawsuit was filed against Hürtaş on charge of “resisting a public official” at the Ankara 37th Criminal Court of First Instance and her imprisonment for up to 3 years was demanded as part of the court case. 

At the first hearing held on November 9, 2021, the complainant police officer took the floor after the statement of Hürtaş and said that he did not press charges and did not want to participate in the trial. The court board ruled that the complainants who were not present in the courtroom should be brought to the hearings and the Security Branch Director should be heard as a witness. The next hearing will be held on April 12, 2022 (November 9).

At the hearing held on April 12, 2022, the witness statements were heard. The court ruled that the plaintiffs should be brought to court by force, it should be asked why the writ to bring them by force was not responded to, a criminal complaint should be filed depending on the response to be received and the identification of the open address of defendant S.Ç. should be awaited. The next hearing will be held on October 27 (April 12). 

At the hearing held on October 27, 2022, the court ruled that the police officers who had filed a criminal complaint against Hürtaş should be brought to court by force. The next hearing will be held on March 30, 2023 (October 27).

September 28, 2023

The fifth hearing of the case was held on September 28, 2023 at Ankara 37th Criminal Court of First Instance. The case was postponed to 13 December 2023 (28 September).

Ankara 37th Criminal Court of First Instance sentenced journalist Sibel Hürtaş, who was detained with beatings while watching the protests of bar association presidents against the Multiple Bar Association Law, and whose complaint was dismissed, to 8 months’ imprisonment and a judicial fine of 10 thousand TL on the charge of “resisting the police”. Hürtaş, who declared that he was strangled in the vehicle in which he was taken into custody and was declared incapacitated for two days after the incident, was on trial with a request for three years in prison. In his opinion submitted on September 26, the court prosecutor requested punishment for the reporter who he claimed resisted (December 13).