Ninety-nine university students, eight journalists and four lawyers appeared before a criminal court in İstanbul on Friday, facing charges over their participation in or coverage of protests against the politically charged investigation into İstanbul’s opposition mayor, Can Öztürk of T24 reported on Friday. Defence lawyers and human rights observers have described the mass trial as an attempt to intimidate dissent and suppress press freedom in Turkey.
The trial opened on Friday at İstanbul’s Çağlayan Courthouse under heightened tension. It stems from a series of demonstrations held in March against the arrest of İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) officials, seen by many as part of a wider crackdown on opposition figures associated with Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.
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Due to overcrowding and the unusually high number of defendants—over 110 individuals in total—the case, initially scheduled in the 62nd Criminal Court of First Instance, was moved to the larger courtroom of the 27th High Criminal Court.
Among the accused are renowned photojournalists, including AFP contributor Yasin Akgül and Now TV reporter Ali Onur Tosun, who were arrested while covering the Saraçhane protests. They are charged under Article 32 of Turkey’s Law on Meetings and Demonstrations, which criminalises participation in unauthorised gatherings. Defence lawyers maintain that their clients were merely doing their jobs.
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“The judiciary is failing to take the case seriously,” said lawyer Veysel Ok, co-director of the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), who opened the hearing. “Journalists are being punished for their profession. The photos may not show their cameras, but that doesn’t erase their identity as journalists.”
Ok also called on the court to separate the journalists’ cases and file criminal complaints against the police officers who detained them, arguing that their arrest constituted a direct violation of press freedom.
Initial chaos erupted in the courtroom after the presiding judge attempted to bypass procedural objections from defence lawyers, prompting vocal protests from the legal team. In response, the judge temporarily left the courtroom amid boos and clapping from attendees. He returned shortly after to hear the objections and later ruled that the cases of the journalists and four lawyers would be separated from those of the student defendants, setting a future date for their individual hearings.
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Meanwhile, the trial continued for 87 students who remained in the dock. The courtroom was filled with family members, legal observers, and political figures, including Gökçe Gökçen, an MP from the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), and İstanbul CHP chair Özgür Çelik. The head of the press workers’ union of DİSK, Turgut Dedeoğlu, also attended in solidarity.
Prosecutors accuse the defendants of refusing to disperse when ordered, disrupting public order, and participating in an unauthorised demonstration. Yet according to defence lawyers, the prosecution has provided little credible evidence.
“There is no record of when or how the police issued a dispersal warning,” said one defence lawyer. “This is a politically motivated trial that should never have been opened.”
The students and their lawyers unanimously requested immediate acquittal. The judge denied these motions and recessed the court for 30 minutes.
During the hearing, Ahmet Dinçel, İstanbul provincial head of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP), who is among the defendants, gave a defiant testimony. “We are being prosecuted for standing up for the rights of the people. In this courtroom today, not only individuals, but the collective right of millions to organise and participate in political life is on trial,” he said.
Dinçel described the charges as “baseless and purely political”, stating that the widespread use of the judiciary as a tool for political suppression has become the norm in Turkey. “We are here because we did not bow to this policy,” he added.
The session was further marred by technical issues. Defence lawyers complained that the courtroom lacked adequate sound equipment, making it difficult for them to hear statements from other defendants. “Fair trial rights require that everyone in this room be able to hear every defence,” one lawyer shouted. “Without functioning sound, you are depriving us of this right.”
Tensions leading up to the hearing were already high. On the morning of the trial, police reportedly prevented several journalists from entering the courthouse, citing orders from the chief prosecutor. Officers said only reporters with “Turquoise Press Cards” issued by the presidential communications office would be allowed entry. After objections from media representatives, some journalists were eventually permitted inside.
In a further escalation, protest defendant Özenç İslamoğlu was detained by police just outside the courthouse before the hearing began. He was later brought into the courtroom under custody.
The roots of the case lie in protests held in March in İstanbul and İzmir after the arrest of several İBB officials linked to Mayor İmamoğlu, a rising opposition figure ahead of Turkey’s 2028 presidential elections. On 23 and 24 March, at least 11 journalists were detained while covering the events. Although initially released on 25 March, seven of them were re-arrested following a prosecutor’s appeal and were only freed after four days in detention.
Despite the arrests and legal proceedings, human rights organisations and opposition figures continue to rally around the defendants, portraying the prosecutions as part of a systematic effort to dismantle democratic space in Turkey.
“These prosecutions are meant to send a message,” said MLSA’s Veysel Ok. “The message is clear: challenge the government, and you will face consequences—even if you’re a journalist, even if you’re a student.”
The next hearing for the separated case involving the eight journalists and four lawyers has yet to be scheduled. Meanwhile, the trial for the remaining 87 student defendants will continue on 4 July.
