5 December 2024
Journalist Yüsra Batıhan is facing trial on charges of “publicly disseminating misleading information” (Turkish Penal Code, Article 217/A) over social media posts about the 2023 earthquakes centered in Maraş. The case will be heard by the Ankara 75th Criminal Court of First Instance. Batıhan stated: “The government tried to silence journalists it could not control by using the disinformation law.”
According to the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), the investigation stemmed from Batıhan’s sharing of news reports published by Mezopotamya Agency on developments in Hatay, one of the provinces affected by the earthquakes. The reports were titled “Bodies are being buried, the state is unaware” and “30 containers sent by the HDP for earthquake victims were seized.” The indictment was accepted, and the first hearing is scheduled for 21 January 2025. (5 December)