Hearing of Ahmet Altan Adjourned Due to Judicial Reform

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The hearing of the case where journalist Ahmet Altan is under trial for a column article published in the daily Taraf in 2010 has been adjourned to February 4, 2020, for the examination of the first judicial reform package passed in the parliament on October 16.

The article titled, "Death is the Order of the Father," was on Süleyman Demirel, a former president nicknamed "the Father" who died in 2015. He had filed a complaint against the newspaper for not publishing his reply to the article.

Ahmet Altan, who is currently under arrest and charged with offenses related to the July 2016 coup attempt, attended the hearing at İstanbul 10th Penal Court of First Instance via the Audio and Video Information System (teleconference).

Attorney Albuga Çalıkuşu stated in the hearing that the verdict of 32nd Penal Court of First Instance, which led to the reopening of Demirel's case, has been brought to the Court of Cassation and has not been concluded yet. On this ground, Çalıkuşu requested the charges be dropped.

The court ruled in an interim decision that 32nd Penal Court of First Instance shall be asked if the final judgment was made on Ahmet Altan. (HA/VK)