Release decision in CHP Istanbul Provincial Presidency case

Twenty defendants, who were on trial for "publicly inciting to commit a crime" due to their social media posts regarding the police blockade and the appointment of a trustee at the CHP Istanbul Provincial Presidency, appeared before a judge for the first time. The court ruled for the release of the detained defendants on the condition of a travel ban.

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Twenty people, who were charged with "publicly inciting to commit a crime" due to their social media posts regarding the police blockade and the appointment of a trustee at the CHP Istanbul Provincial Presidency, appeared before a judge for the first time at the Istanbul 9th Criminal Court of First Instance.

Among the defendants were journalist Fatoş Erdoğan and academic Emrah Gülsunar, who had previously been arrested due to his social media posts.

COURT ISSUES RELEASE DECISION

At the end of the trial, the court ruled for the release of the detained defendants on the condition of a travel ban.

Additionally, the signature obligation for the defendants being tried without detention was lifted.

The court decided to write a letter to the Ministry of Justice on the grounds that no permission for prosecution had been obtained regarding lawyer Muhammet Mesut Yıldız.

ADDITIONAL INDICTMENT REQUESTED

Due to the discrepancy between the referral articles in the file and the content of the indictment, the court ruled that a memorandum be written to the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office for the preparation of an additional indictment.

Furthermore, it was decided during the hearing to grant time for the completion of the deficiencies in the indictment.

HEARING DATE SET

The court concluded the session by deciding that the next hearing of the case would be held on January 28, 2026.

All of the defendants denied the charges during the hearing and requested that the trial be conducted fairly.