Istanbul Court Reaffirms Life Sentence for Journalist Erdal Süsem Despite Higher Court Rulings
An Istanbul heavy penal court upheld the life imprisonment of journalist Erdal Süsem on Oct 6, ignoring a Constitutional Court finding of trial-rights violations and a Court of Cassation overturn.
On Oct 6, the Istanbul 12th Heavy Penal Court, hearing a retrial of journalist Erdal Süsem, confirmed the life sentence originally imposed in 2009, despite a 2022 Constitutional Court decision that his right to legal assistance had been breached. Süsem, brought from a Tekirdağ prison, asked for acquittal, citing the exclusion of statements taken without a lawyer and the failure to hear witnesses. Prosecutors maintained that the remaining evidence was sufficient for conviction.
Defense counsel Vahdet Sinan Yerlikaya highlighted that earlier orders to summon eyewitness Hanife Taş had been rescinded and that the evidence had not changed since the first indictment. The court concluded that even without the contested statements, the other evidence did not merit overturning the verdict, and ordered the sentence to continue. An appeal to the Court of Cassation is possible within two weeks.
Why it matters
The ruling shows ongoing tensions between Turkey's judiciary and higher courts over fair-trial standards.
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