Journalist Kayar has been detained on December 19, 2017. He was released after his interrogation at Anti-Terror Branch of the Diyarbakır Police Headquarters.
He is being tried for “founding and managing a terrorist organization” charges based on the evidence that he attended 31 different marches, demonstrations and press conferences as a journalist in Diyarbakır between 2012-2014 resumed in Diyarbakır. Kayar faces up to 22.5 years of imprisonment.
The next hearing will be on December 4. (26 July). At the hearing on December 4, the court decided to await submissions of the prosecution office which have not been presented for the last 5 months. Next hearing will be held on April 1, 2020.
At the final hearing held on October 9, 2020, the prosecutor of the hearing announced the opinion as to the accusations after the defense and demanded that Kayar be sentenced to 7.5 years to 15 years in prison on charge of “being a member of an armed organization” due to the demonstrations and events that he had allegedly attended.
Making his defense after the opinion as to the accusations, Kayar requested his acquittal. Pronouncing his judgement after the recess, the court has concluded that journalist Kayar “has not been proven guilty” of the offense of “founding and managing a terrorist organization”. Sertaç Kayar has been acquitted (October 9).
