Journalist Özlem Gürses Faces Penalty for Last-Minute Turkey News
An indictment has been prepared by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Ministry of National Defense Department of Defense and Legal Affairs, following a report filed against Özlem Gürses for his YouTube channel content. The indictment alleges that Gürses used criminal elements in his videos and subsequently initiated an investigation into the matter.
The Ministry of National Defense Department of National Defense and Legal Affairs Department stated on December 20, 2024, that an investigation was launched due to the legal and factual connection between the two investigation files being united. The indictment accuses Gürses of likening the state’s military organization to a terrorist organization, TAF, and of publicly humiliating them by drawing comparisons to terrorist groups known for torture and massacres.
The indictment requests a sentence of 6 months to 2 years for Gürses for publicly humiliating the military organization of the state. Gürses, in his testimony, mentioned that only a small portion of his YouTube video was taken out of context to initiate a social media lynch campaign against him.
As a result of the charges, Gürses was placed under house arrest, but the decision was later reversed, allowing him to travel abroad. The case is now set to be evaluated by the Criminal Court of First Instance.
