The first hearing of the trial against journalist Can Ataklı, who was prosecuted on charge of “publicly degrading a section of the society” over his statements made on the “Gün Başlıyor” program on May 21, 2021 on Tele1 channel, was held at the İstanbul 16th Criminal Court of First Instance.

In the indictment prepared against Ataklı, who commented on and protested the incidents that took place during the İYİ Party leader Meral Akşener’s visit to Rize on May 20, it is claimed that Ataklı’s comments and criticism are “uttering insults and slanders by throwing Rize and the people of Rize in front of the society”. Among the 40 complainants in the indictment is the Justice and Development Party (AKP) Rize Provincial Organization.

At the hearing held on June 16, the court rejected the request of the plaintiff party, Rize Associations Federation officials, for taking part in the trial as there was no possibility that they had been directly harmed by the crime. The next hearing will be held on October 20 (June 15).

At the hearing held on October 20, 2022, the prosecutor demanded that the file be sent to the prosecutor’s office to present the opinion as to the accusations. The court accepted the request. The next hearing will be held on November 10 (October 20).

At the hearing held on November 10, 2022, the trial was heard on the case file as Ataklı’s lawyer had offered an excuse. The hearing was adjourned until a later date (November 10).