MEDIA MONITORING DATABASE
Özgür Gündem Trials: The Editors-in-Chief on Watch Campaign – Can Dündar
RELATED PERSON OR INSTITUTION
Can Dündar
CITY
İstanbul
YEAR OF INTERFERENCE
2016
LAST UPDATED
13/10/2022
TYPE OF STATEMENT
Political
MEDIUM
Print Media
Newspaper
THE TITLE OF WHOSE RIGHT IS INTERFERED
Editor / Editor-In-Chief
RIGHTS GUARANTEED UNDER THE RIGHT OF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
Right to Impart Information and Ideas
TYPE OF INTERFERENCE
Judicial Interference
Criminal Courts
Approval of the indictment and initiating the prosecution
THE LEGAL GROUNDS FOR INTERFERENCE
Anti-Terror Law
Art. 7/2

Closed Özgür Gündem newspaper’s Editor-in-Chief on Watch solidarity campaign was launched on May 3, 2016 and ended on August 7, 2016. 56 people joined the campaign. 50 of the attendees faced prosecution. Of the prosecuted, files of the 38 have been turned into cases.

Having attended the solidarity campaign with Özgür Gündem, Can Dündar and documentarist Veysi Altay have stood trial for allegedly “propagandising for a terrorist organisation”, “releasing or publishing terror organizations’ statements or declarations” and “praising the offence and the offender” at the 22nd High Criminal Court in İstanbul. The first hearing of the trial held on December 22, 2016.

The managing editor of Özgür Gündem, İnan Kızılkaya was present at all hearings as defendant. 

At the ninth hearing held on January 31, 2019, the court adjourned the hearing until July 18, 2019 as it was ruled to grant additional time for missing documents to be included, as well as for an answer from a rogatory court to arrive.

At subsequent hearings held on July 18 and November 28, 2019, the 22nd High Criminal Court of Istanbul ruled to wait for the execution of the arrest warrant against Dündar and adjourned the trial until 21 May 2020.

Trial to be held on May 21 was adjourned until 24 December 2020 due to the measures taken against Covid-19 pandemic (21 May).

At the hearing held on December 24, the court has ruled that the execution of the warrant issued against Dündar to take his testimony and the reply to the rogatory documents sent to Germany to take his testimony there shall be awaited. The next hearing will be held on June 24, 2021 (December 24).

At the hearing held on June 24, the court board indicated that the warrant against Can Dündar had not been executed; the reply to be given to the instruction written abroad is being awaited. The next hearing will be held on December 23 (June 24).

The hearing was not attended by Dündar’s lawyers, who offered an excuse; the hearing has been adjourned until a later date (December 23). 

The hearing held on May 31, 2022 was not attended by Dündar’s lawyers, who offered an excuse. The court ruled to wait for the execution of the arrest warrant against Dündar and returning of the rogatory documents. The next hearing will be held on October 13 (May 31).

At the hearing held on October 13, 2022, the court ruled that the execution of the warrant against Dündar and the return of the letters rogatory should be awaited. The next hearing will be held on March 30, 2023 (October 13).