Defendants: Kazım Kızıl and 23 others

Media Outlet and Position: Freelance journalist and documentary producer

Accusations: Insulting the President; Conflicting with the meetings and demonstration law

Possible sentence: –

Court: İzmir 33. Criminal Court

Case Background: 

Kazım Kızıl, a freelance journalist and documentary producer, was detained on April 17, 2017 while recording protests following the April 16, 2017 referendum on a presidential system in Turkey. He was reportedly accused of “insulting the President” over his earlier posts on social media.

As a member of Turkey’s Union of Journalists (TGS), Kızıl holds a press card, which allows him to report on and record the protests. However, the police disregarded his press card and detained him along with 23 others including students during protests. The case charges the defendants of “conflicting with the meetings and demonstration law” under the state of emergency, which has been in place since July 2016.

Kızıl was released on July 20, 2017, on bail after three months in pretrial detention. The next and final hearing in his case is set for October 1, 2018.