Journalist Ali Çağatay released at first hearing with international travel ban
In the case of Ali Çağatay, who had been detained for approximately 2.5 months due to a social media post, the court ruled for his release and adjourned the hearing until October 1.
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Journalist Ali Çağatay, who was arrested on the grounds of a social media post regarding the kidnapping of Erhan Karaal, Deputy General Manager of İBB Kültür A.Ş., appeared before a judge for the first time after approximately 2.5 months of detention.
At the hearing held at the Istanbul 5th Criminal Court of First Instance, the prosecution requested that Çağatay be punished and that his detention continue. The court, however, decided to release Çağatay with an international travel ban, taking into account that his defense had been heard, that there was no remaining evidence to be collected, and the time he had already spent in detention.
In his defense during the hearing, Çağatay stated that he did not target the entire Police Department in his post. Çağatay said, "On the contrary, I essentially protected the honor of the Police Department."
Arguing that there was no information or document in the file indicating that his post was false or fake, Çağatay also commented on the detention process, stating, "When I was referred to the courthouse, the prosecutor referred me for arrest without seeing me or taking my statement."
Çağatay's lawyer, Aslı Kazan, stated that no investigation was conducted regarding the content of the post during the investigation phase and that it had not been proven that the post was false or misleading.
In its opinion, the prosecution requested that Çağatay be punished for "publicly disseminating misleading information" and "publicly insulting the Police Department." Following the release decision, the court adjourned the hearing to October 1.