Defendants: Mehmet Çakmakçı

Media Outlets and Positions: Medyascope tv – correspondent

Accusations: Membership of a terrorist organization

Possible sentence: up to 15 years

Court: Diyarbakır 10. High Criminal Court

Case Background

Mehmet Çakmakçı, a correspondent for Medyascope tv, was arrested on July 4, 2018, on the charges of “membership of a terrorist organization” in Diyarbakır. Çakmakçı was released on probation on October 18 after over three months in detention.

During the sixth hearing in his case on May 17, 2019, Çakmakçı stated that the indictment cited his interviews, phone calls with the sources and photos that were taken on duty as criminal evidence, rejecting all charges against him.

The court ruled to wait until the transcript of a voice recording in the file is evaluated, adjourned the next hearing until November 8.

On November 8 hearing, the court ruled to wait until requested documents from the forensic medicine institution to be submitted and adjourned the trial until March 11, 2020.

During the hearing on March 11, the court presented a police report on the digital materials confiscated from Çakmakçı was included in the case file. The prosecution presented the final opinion asking Çakmakçı to be convicted of “membership of the PKK/KCK armed terrorist organization”. The defense rejected the police report against journalist Çakmakçı and requested additional time for the preparation of their final statement. The trial was adjourned until June 10, 2020.

Due to suspension of all judicial proceedings since early March until June 15 because of COVID-19 pandemic, the June 10 hearing is postponed.