The 7th High Criminal Court of Diyarbakır sentenced former Azadiya Welat Editor-In-Chief Ismail Çoban to five years of imprisonment for the charges of “successively disseminating propaganda for a terrorist organization” due to 15 news articles and columns published in the newspaper.

The five-year prison sentence given to İsmail Çoban by the Diyarbakır 7th High Criminal Court was overturned by the court of appeals on the grounds of another lawsuit filed against Çoban.

At the hearing of the ensuing retrial held on June 29, 2021, the court board pronounced its judgement after hearing the statements of defense and ruled that İsmail Çoban should be sentenced to 4 years, 6 months in prison on charge of “successively propagandizing for a terrorist organization” (June 29).

The case where journalist İsmail Çoban was facing a retrial began in 2022. The court ruled that Çoban should be exempted from the hearings and sent a written correspondence to find out when the issues of the newspaper cited as criminal evidence were submitted to the press prosecutor’s office. The court gave time to the prosecutor until the next hearing so that s/he would prepare her/his final opinion as to the accusations. The next hearing will be held on January 31, 2023 (November 29, 2022).

At the hearing held on January 31, 2023, the court ruled that the reply to the written correspondence sent to the Küçükçekmece Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office so that the certificates of receipt of the newspaper issues cited as criminal evidence would be sent should be awaited. The next hearing will be held on April 11 (January 31).