MEDIA MONITORING DATABASE
Van TV journalists’ trial for “propagandizing for a terrorist organization” – Nahide Aslan
RELATED PERSON OR INSTITUTION
Nahide Aslan
CITY
Van
LAST UPDATED
29/01/2021
TYPE OF STATEMENT
Political
MEDIUM
Television
THE TITLE OF WHOSE RIGHT IS INTERFERED
Journalist
RIGHTS GUARANTEED UNDER THE RIGHT OF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
Right to Impart Information and Ideas
TYPE OF INTERFERENCE
Judicial Interference
Criminal Courts
Sentence to imprisonment
THE LEGAL GROUNDS FOR INTERFERENCE
Anti-Terror Law
Art. 7/2

The case, in which the officials and employees of Van TV, which was closed by the Decree-Law due to their programs related to the operations carried out in Turkey’s Southeast are being tried in the Van High Criminal Court for “propagandising for a terrorist organisation”. The first hearing will be held on October 18, 2018. Anchorpersons Gülsün Altan and Kadir Cesur, co-partner of the company Gürcan Bayrakçı and the responsible manager Koçali Özipek face up to seven years and six months imprisonment.

In the sixth hearing on February 11, 2020, the prosecutor requested Sibel Eres and Gültün Altan be penalized for “propagandising for a terrorist organisation” and others for “repeatedly propagandizing for a terrorist organization”.

The next hearing will be held on May 7, 2020 (11 February).

At the hearing held on September 15, lawyers presented petitions to be excused from the hearing. The court decided to complete the missing documents in the case-file, and ruled for the re-examination of news reports, announcements and headlines, adjourned the trial until a later date (15 September).

At the final hearing on January 29, 2021, the court board ruled that Serdar Altan, Gülsün Altan, Kadir Cesur and Sibel Eres should be acquitted and the charges against Koçali Özipek, Nedim Dalga and Gürcan Bardakçı should be dropped. Presenter Nahide Aslan has been sentenced to 1 years, 6 months in prison; the pronouncement of the verdict has been deferred (January 29).