The new Turkey Kemal Demir. Former camera operator for TV10
06-Jan-2020 17:19
14 November 2019: Trial of former TV10 employees adjourned The third hearing in the trial of Kemal Demir and Kemal Karagöz, the former employees of the shuttered TV station TV10, was held on 14 November 2019 at the 28th High Criminal Court of Istanbul. Demir and Karagöz did not attend the hearing, where Demir was represented by his lawyer, Bertan Öztunç. Reminding the court that his client was employed at TV10 first as an office boy and then a driver before becoming a cameraman, Öztunç said, “My client should have been a witness rather than a defendant in this case.” Öztunç requested the court to lift the judicial control measures imposed on Demir and acquit his client. Ruling for the continuation of the judicial control measures imposed on both defendants, the court adjourned the trial until 28 January 2020. 2 May 2019: Former TV10 staff members’ trial adjourned The second hearing of the trial into two former employees of the shuttered TV station TV10, camera operator Kemal Demir and staff member Kemal Karagöz, took place on 2 May in Istanbul. Both Demir and Karagöz are charged with “membership in a terrorist group” in the case, overseen by the 28th High Criminal Court of Istanbul. Demir and Karagöz were taken into custody in December 2017. At the end of the detention period, Demir was jailed pending trial while Karagöz was released under judicial control measures. The first hearing of their trial took place on 3 July 2018, but the 28th High Criminal Court of IStanbul ruled at the end of the hearing to send the case file to a criminal court in Mersin on the grounds that it had no jurisdiction over the case. However, the Mersin court also ruled that it had no jurisdiction and the case file ended up at the Supreme Court of Appeals, which ruled that the original trial court had jurisdiction. The 28th High Criminal Court of Istanbul, reevaluating the case file after the Supreme Court of Appeals’ decision, ruled on 8 February 2019 for Demir’s release pending trial. P24 monitored the second hearing, where both Demir and Karagöz were in attendance, accompanied by their lawyers. Rebecca Harms, a German Member of the European Parliament (MEP), and Caroline Stockford, Turkey Advocacy Coordinator at International Press Institute (IPI), were among those observing the hearing to support Demir and Karagöz. Both Demir and Karagöz addressed the court during the hearing, rejecting the accusations. Karagöz’s lawyer Hüseyin Çalışçı asked the court to lift the judicial control measure imposed on his client. Demir’s lawyer Seyit Demir asked the court to lift his client’s international travel ban because it prevented him from seeing his relatives who live abroad. In its interim ruling at the end of the hearing, the court ruled for the continuation of Demir’s travel ban while lifting the judicial control measure imposed on Karagöz. The court granted both defendants exemption from personal appearance in the courtroom and adjourned the trial until 10 September 2019. 8 February 2019: TV10 camera operator Kemal Demir released pending trial Kemal Demir, a former camera operator for the shuttered television station TV10, who has been in detention on remand in the Silivri Prison since December 2017, was released pending trial on 8 February after spending more than one year in pre-trial detention. The 28th High Criminal Court of Istanbul ordered Demir’s release without holding a courtroom hearing, media reported on 9 February. The court imposed on Demir an international travel ban. The second hearing of Demir’s trial on the charge of “membership in a terrorist group” is scheduled for 2 May 2019. At the end of the first hearing on 3 July 2018, the 28th High Criminal Court of Istanbul ruled that it had no jurisdiction over the case and sent Demir’s file to Mersin. When the Mersin court also ruled that it had no jurisdiction over the case, the file was sent to the Supreme Court of Appeals, which subsequently ruled that the case should be overseen by the 28th High Criminal Court of Istanbul, which, upon its review of Demir’s file, ruled for his release. 3 July 2018: Court rules non-jurisdiction over Kemal Demir case, sends file to Mersin Kemal Demir, a former camera operator for TV10, imprisoned since November 2017, appeared before an Istanbul court on July 3 for the first hearing of his trial. Demir, in pretrial detention in Silivri Prison, is standing trial alongside Kemal Karagöz, another former TV10 employee, in the case. Addressing the court during the hearing, Demir said he had a family he had to take care of and requested for his release pending trial. The 28th High Criminal Court of Istanbul ruled it had no jurisdiction over the case and ruled to transfer the case file to a high criminal court in Mersin, while also ordering the continuation of Demir’s pretrial detention. TV10 was closed down by a statutory decree.*

The new Turkey
Kemal Demir.
Former camera operator for TV10

06-Jan-2020 17:19

14 November 2019:

Trial of former TV10 employees adjourned

The third hearing in the trial of Kemal Demir and Kemal Karagöz, the former employees of the shuttered TV station TV10, was held on 14 November 2019 at the 28th High Criminal Court of Istanbul.

Demir and Karagöz did not attend the hearing, where Demir was represented by his lawyer, Bertan Öztunç. Reminding the court that his client was employed at TV10 first as an office boy and then a driver before becoming a cameraman, Öztunç said, “My client should have been a witness rather than a defendant in this case.” Öztunç requested the court to lift the judicial control measures imposed on Demir and acquit his client. Ruling for the continuation of the judicial control measures imposed on both defendants, the court adjourned the trial until 28 January 2020.

2 May 2019:

Former TV10 staff members’ trial adjourned

The second hearing of the trial into two former employees of the shuttered TV station TV10, camera operator Kemal Demir and staff member Kemal Karagöz, took place on 2 May in Istanbul. Both Demir and Karagöz are charged with “membership in a terrorist group” in the case, overseen by the 28th High Criminal Court of Istanbul.

Demir and Karagöz were taken into custody in December 2017. At the end of the detention period, Demir was jailed pending trial while Karagöz was released under judicial control measures. The first hearing of their trial took place on 3 July 2018, but the 28th High Criminal Court of IStanbul ruled at the end of the hearing to send the case file to a criminal court in Mersin on the grounds that it had no jurisdiction over the case. However, the Mersin court also ruled that it had no jurisdiction and the case file ended up at the Supreme Court of Appeals, which ruled that the original trial court had jurisdiction. The 28th High Criminal Court of Istanbul, reevaluating the case file after the Supreme Court of Appeals’ decision, ruled on 8 February 2019 for Demir’s release pending trial.

P24 monitored the second hearing, where both Demir and Karagöz were in attendance, accompanied by their lawyers. Rebecca Harms, a German Member of the European Parliament (MEP), and Caroline Stockford, Turkey Advocacy Coordinator at International Press Institute (IPI), were among those observing the hearing to support Demir and Karagöz.

Both Demir and Karagöz addressed the court during the hearing, rejecting the accusations. Karagöz’s lawyer Hüseyin Çalışçı asked the court to lift the judicial control measure imposed on his client. Demir’s lawyer Seyit Demir asked the court to lift his client’s international travel ban because it prevented him from seeing his relatives who live abroad.

In its interim ruling at the end of the hearing, the court ruled for the continuation of Demir’s travel ban while lifting the judicial control measure imposed on Karagöz. The court granted both defendants exemption from personal appearance in the courtroom and adjourned the trial until 10 September 2019.

8 February 2019:

TV10 camera operator Kemal Demir released pending trial

Kemal Demir, a former camera operator for the shuttered television station TV10, who has been in detention on remand in the Silivri Prison since December 2017, was released pending trial on 8 February after spending more than one year in pre-trial detention.

The 28th High Criminal Court of Istanbul ordered Demir’s release without holding a courtroom hearing, media reported on 9 February. The court imposed on Demir an international travel ban.

The second hearing of Demir’s trial on the charge of “membership in a terrorist group” is scheduled for 2 May 2019.

At the end of the first hearing on 3 July 2018, the 28th High Criminal Court of Istanbul ruled that it had no jurisdiction over the case and sent Demir’s file to Mersin. When the Mersin court also ruled that it had no jurisdiction over the case, the file was sent to the Supreme Court of Appeals, which subsequently ruled that the case should be overseen by the 28th High Criminal Court of Istanbul, which, upon its review of Demir’s file, ruled for his release.

3 July 2018:

Court rules non-jurisdiction over Kemal Demir case, sends file to Mersin

Kemal Demir, a former camera operator for TV10, imprisoned since November 2017, appeared before an Istanbul court on July 3 for the first hearing of his trial.

Demir, in pretrial detention in Silivri Prison, is standing trial alongside Kemal Karagöz, another former TV10 employee, in the case.

Addressing the court during the hearing, Demir said he had a family he had to take care of and requested for his release pending trial.

The 28th High Criminal Court of Istanbul ruled it had no jurisdiction over the case and ruled to transfer the case file to a high criminal court in Mersin, while also ordering the continuation of Demir’s pretrial detention.

TV10 was closed down by a statutory decree.*

The new Turkey Kemal Demir. Former camera operator for TV10

Former TV10 staff members’ trial adjourned

The new Turkey
Kemal Demir.
Former camera operator for TV10