A lawsuit has been filed over the attack on Yeni Çağ newspaper’s columnist Yavuz Selim Demirağ in the capital city of Ankara on the night of May 10, 2019 two years later. Six defendants will stand trial on charges of “threat”, “insult” and “wilful injury” and face up to 20 years, 10 months in prison each. The trial will start at the Ankara 10th Criminal Court of First Instance on November 12, 2021. The Ankara Criminal Judgeship of Peace had released the six suspects on the grounds that “there was no life-threatening situation.” Having battered the journalist with baseball bats and caused him to be hospitalized, the suspects had said, “We had a fight in traffic, that was why we attacked” (July 1).

The lawsuit filed by Demirağ against the assaulters who attacked him in front of his house on May 10, 2019 began at the Civil Court of First Instance on October 15, 2021. At the hearing, the court ruled that the file should be sent to the High Criminal Court (October 15). 

The Ankara Appeals Court ruled that the trial should be held at the Ankara 36th High Criminal Court. The trial over the attack on Demirağ will be held on September 22, 2022 (April 28).

The hearing was held on January 23. The prosecutor requested that the defendants be sentenced for “injury.” The trial was postponed until June 21. On October 12, 2023, the court included the statement of journalist Murat Ağırel, who testified as a witness, into the case file (January 23).

On June 21, six defendants were sentenced to 9 years in prison each for “intentional injury and threats” (June 21).