14 journalists in Turkish courts this week: hearings in five cities from Istanbul to Diyarbakır

During the week of October 19-23, hearings for 14 journalists will be held in courts in Istanbul, Ankara, Diyarbakır, Tunceli, and Giresun. The journalists face charges of 'organization propaganda', 'organization membership', 'aiding an organization', 'insult', 'disseminating misleading information', and 'insulting the President'.

One of the week's prominent hearings is the case of journalist Tuğçe Yılmaz: Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance will try Yılmaz under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code for 'openly denigrating the Republic of Turkey'. Yılmaz previously said, "Being tried is my profession."

Journalist Bircan Değirmenci will appear before a judge at Diyarbakır 4th Heavy Penal Court, facing charges of 'serial organization propaganda' over posts she made on X in 2015. According to Bianet data, the number of cases against journalists is rising nationwide; while the number of journalists entering weekly hearings was in single digits during the same period last year, it has risen to 14 this week.