The 5th hearing of the lawsuit filed against Mezopotamia Agency (MA) Editor Abdurrahman Gök due to his professional activities and the statements of so-called witness Ümit Akbıyık was held today at Diyarbakır Heavy Penal Court on Tuesday. Gök is accused of ‘being a member of an illegal organisation’ and ‘making propaganda for an illegal organisation’, meaning the PKK.

Gök and his lawyers Resul Temur and Mehmet Emin Aktar were present at the hearing, which was also observed by Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFG) Co-Chair Dicle Müftüoğlu, DİSK Basın-İş President Turgut Dedeoğlu and Human Rights Watch (HRW) representatives.

The court decided to continue the ban on leaving the country, to wait for the return of the file under appeal at the Court of Cassation, and to request a copy of the file of the new investigation opened against Gök by Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in 2024. The hearing was adjourned to 30 January 2024. 

Gök's trial has been pending since 2023. The journalist spent around six months in pre-trial custody last year as a result of the proceedings. When he was released from prison in December, the court ordered a travel ban and probation against Gök. However, these measures make it impossible for him to pursue his journalistic activities without restriction, Gök said at today's hearing.

The court rejected the request with an alleged risk of the journalist absconding. In addition, the chamber ordered that the anonymous incriminating witness ‘CV23TY45UP78’ should no longer be heard. The witness, who had already been summoned several times, again did not appear in court today. In order to avoid ‘unnecessarily prolonging’ the trial, the court decided to dispense with his testimony. However, the court will also await the outcome of an appeal by the journalist against a sentence of one and a half years' imprisonment regarding photos of the fight against ISIS, which is currently being considered by the Turkish Court of Cassation.