Upon the criminal complaint of Red Crescent Chair Kerem Kınık over the news report titled “BirGün has accessed the documents of fines imposed on the Red Crescent Chair and Director General” and published on the website on October 4, 2020 and on the newspaper on October 6, 2020, the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched an investigation against BirGün newspaper’s editorial coordinators İbrahim Varlı and Yaşar Aydın and reporter İsmail Arı on charge of “obtaining and disclosing personal information in an unlawful manner” (August 13).

At the hearing held on May 12, the prosecutor demanded that the request for the intervention of complainant Kerem Kınık and his lawyer be accepted. The prosecutor also requested the correction of deficiencies.  The court accepted the request of the complainant Kerem Kınık on the grounds of the possibility of being affected by the crime. The court has given tine to journalist Arı’s lawyer until the next hearing to present his defenses. The next hearing will be held on October 11 (May 12).

At the hearing held on October 11, 2022, the prosecutor requested that Arı be penalized. Arı’s lawyer requested additional time to make defense as to the accusations. The court accepted the request and adjourned the trial until October 27 (October 11).

At the hearing held on October 27, 2022, the court ruled that Arı should be sentenced to 2 years in prison and deferred the announcement of the verdict (October 27).