23/02/2026 | Writer: Kaos GL
The court ruled that the travel bans imposed on Kaos GL Editor-in-Chief Yıldız Tar and writer Halit Elçi will remain in place.
The second hearing of the case in which KaosGL.org Editor-in-Chief Yıldız Tar and writer Halit Elçi are being tried on the allegation of “membership in an organisation” within the scope of the Peoples’ Democratic Congress (HDK) investigation was held today at the Ankara 17th High Criminal Court.
The hearing was monitored by the Human Rights Center of the Istanbul Bar Association, Amnesty International, ÜniKuir, GALADER, LİSTAG, the 17 May Association, the Red Umbrella Association, Kapsama Alanı, CEİD, MLSA, SPoD, the Young LGBTI+ Association, Lambdaİstanbul, the Human Rights Association (İHD) LGBTI Commission, İHD Headquarters, the Revolutionary Socialist Workers Party (DSİP), the Socialist Refoundation Party (SYKP), the LGBTI+ Initiative for Peace, the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), the Education and Science Workers’ Union (Eğitim Sen) Branch No. 1, the Ankara Bar Association LGBTI+ Rights Center, Ankara Bar Association Women’s Rights Center, the Women’s Solidarity Foundation, the Association for Women’s Human Rights, Pink Life, Colors of Resistance, the İzmir Bar Association, the Ankara Women’s Platform, the European Union (EU) Delegation, the Human Rights School, the Journalists’ Union of Turkey (TGS), the Contemporary Journalists Association (ÇGD), Aramızda Association, STGM, the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD), the Women’s Initiative for I Need Peace, KuirGaming, Ankara Pride, GoFor, the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV), the Human Rights Joint Platform (İHOP), Demos, Animal Life Freedom, Anticapitalist Students, the Green Left Party, BURHAK, and the embassies of Germany, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Norway.
Armed police waited in the courtroom
Armed police were stationed inside and outside the courtroom. Lawyers’ request to have the police removed from the courtroom was rejected by the judge.
The court panel asked the defendants and their lawyers whether they would present an additional defence. The defendants and their lawyers stated that they would not present an additional defence.
Tar and Elçi, requested the lifting of their travel bans. Lawyer Veysel Ok said, “Yıldız is a well-known journalist and civil society worker. She needs to travel abroad due to her profession. We request that all judicial control measures be completely lifted.”
The hearing was postponed to June 24
The prosecution requested that deficiencies in the file be remedied and that judicial control measures continue.
The court decided to send an official request regarding Hasan Bat, whose name appears in the indictment, to obtain information from the Anti-Terror Branch Directorate (TEM), and ruled that the travel bans imposed on the defendants would continue.
The hearing was adjourned to June 24, 2026 at 14:15.
What happened at the first hearing?
The first hearing of the case in which Yıldız Tar is being tried within the scope of the HDK investigation was held on October 13, 2025. The hearing was monitored by many international representations, members of parliament, the press, and human rights organisations.
In her defence, Tar described her journalistic activities and stated that the accusations against her were based on phone records from 12–13 years ago, criticising being tried for “membership in an organisation” on the basis of these records. She recalled court rulings stating that HDK is not a terrorist organisation, said that her news monitoring and field reporting conducted within the scope of journalism had been made the subject of accusations, and requested her acquittal.
Her lawyers emphasised that the indictment was unlawful, that the telephone transcripts included in the file had previously been destroyed, and that there was no concrete evidence.
Tags: human rights, media, life, lgbti
