Taken into custody while covering the press statement attempted to be held by the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Youth Assembly in protest against the submerging of Hasankeyf on June 12, 2019, journalist Sonya Bayık, along with other defendants, have been standing trial at the Batman 1st Criminal Court of First Instance.

Bayık is charged with “violating the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations.”

At the hearing held on October 14, 2021, the court board ruled that the images of the intervention against the press statement, the subject matter of the court case, should be sent for examination. The next hearing will be held on February 10, 2022 (October 14).

At the hearing held on February 10, 2022, the court board ruled that the Batman Security Directorate be asked in a written correspondence for the footage of the police intervention. The next hearing will be held on June 28 (February 10).

At the hearing held on June 28, 2022, the judge ruled that the image analysis report prepared by the Batman Security Directorate should be delivered to the defendants and lawyers so that they could examine them and make their statements of defense in response and that the testimony of the defenders who had not yet testified should be awaited. The next hearing will be held on December 27 (June 28).

At the hearing held on December 27, 2022, the court ruled that the execution of the warrants issued against the two defendants who had not yet testified and the rectification of the deficiencies in the file should be awaited. The next hearing will be held on March 21, 2023 (December 27).