21 people, including Democratic Regions Party (DBP) and Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) members and executives, as well as Democratic Modernity magazine editor Haydar Ergül, journalist Ahmet Birsin and Jineoloji magazine employee Şeyma Kantarcı, were detained during the house raids on July 28, 2017.

Ergül, Birsin and Kantarcı were remanded in custody as part of the investigation carried out by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.

The defendants are accused of "being members of the PKK" and a workshop of the DBP Political Academy in Bagcilar in 2016 is cited as the evidence.

Concepts and views on stateless societies, hunter and gatherer tribes and settled life, Neolithic Period, Totem, Shamanism and Zoroastrianism, which were discussed at the DBP's Political Academy, are considered "organizational ideology" in the indictment.

At a previous hearing on June 21, 2022, the lawyers pointed to the expert report and revealed that the audio recording, which was claimed to belong to Ergül, actually did not belong to him.

The file was sent to the Public Prosecutor's Office to prepare an opinion as to the accusations at the 16th hearing held on October 27, 2022.

The prosecution submitted its opinion to the court on February 13, claiming that the audio recordings belonged to Ergül and other defendants, in spite of the expert report.

Moreover, an opinion was also prepared against journalist Birsin, whose testimony was not taken and who was not prosecuted.

The prosecutor’s opinion requested up to 225 years jail term for Eşref Yaşar, Mehmet Şah Güneş, Sedat Çaycı, Mevlüt Aykoç, Mehmet Şirin Aykol, Ahmet Sağınç, Ercan Doğru, Aygül Turhan, Mustafa Elma, Şeyma Kantarcı, İskender Karakoyun, Münevver İlingi, Hacı Aslan, Abdullah Geldi, Ahmet Birsin, Haydar Ergül and Aysel Diler for alleged “membership in the PKK”.

The next hearing will reportedly be held on February 23.