Swedish journalist Joakim Medin's Istanbul terrorism trial set for Thursday
Joakim Medin's terrorism trial in Istanbul, delayed three times, will begin Thursday at 10 a.m. Swedish officials will monitor the proceedings remotely.
After three postponements, the Istanbul court announced that the trial of Swedish journalist Joakim Medin will commence on Thursday at 10 a.m. Swedish authorities previously refused a request for Medin to give testimony through a live link, a move Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer said would breach Swedish legal principles on free expression. Medin, who was arrested during a reporting trip to Turkey in 2025 and released after 51 days, faces charges of participation in a terrorist organization and disseminating terror propaganda, though the precise allegations are unclear.
He will watch the proceedings remotely from Sweden, while a delegation of Swedish representatives—including James Savage, head of Utgivarna och Sveriges Tidskrifter, Victoria da Silva of the Journalistförbundet, and EU parliamentarian Jonas Sjöstedt—will be present in the courtroom. The case highlights tensions between Turkish judicial actions and Swedish commitments to press freedom.
Why it matters
The trial raises concerns about press freedom and cross-border legal cooperation between Turkey and Sweden.
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