Author Yavuz Ekinci on Trial for “Terrorist Propaganda” Charges

Ferhat Yaşar / Newspaper Wall

An Istanbul court held the first hearing of author Yavuz Ekinci on “terrorist propaganda” charges for his novel Shared Dreams published in 2014.

The trial began with the presence of many authors and representatives of civil society.

In his defense, Ekinci rejected all charges and pointed to the conditions that led to his book being banned.

“Shared Dreams is the story of my home, my people, my village, my country. This is the story of those who wait endlessly by the window, in front of the television, for news about their sons, their daughters, or their fathers. Whether you call them Saturday Mothers or Diyarbakır Families, Shared Dreams tells the story of this country,” he explained.

Ekinci continued, “What worries me the most in this case, and what I have tried to understand since I first heard about it, is the mindset of the person who reported my novel to President CİMER’s communication system on the night of the second day of the massive earthquake February 6.”

“In the midst of this horror, on the night of February 7, someone took the time to report my novel to CİMER, accusing me of terrorist propaganda. Although I felt ashamed to even sit, eat, or speak during those days, someone recited my book, thinking they were patriotic,” the author said.

Ekinci said his novel was a work of fiction. “The fact that the fictional world I created appeared real to the court speaks to the power of my literature and the court’s attitude to fiction. Suing a fictional universe is abstract. Judging, banning, and seizing in today’s courts is political. Judging an artist based on characters and their words is an insult to art,” he asserted.

The court decided to ask the Istanbul Security Branch Directorate about the date of Ekinci’s publication Shared Dreams and referred the case to the prosecution for an opinion on the merits. The trial was adjourned until December 9.

Following the hearing, Ekinci made a statement in front of the court. “This is not just a case against me, but a warning to all writers. No one can tell a writer what to write or how to write. We want literature to be discussed through new styles, not lawsuits,” he said.

Background of the Case

Following a complaint to CİMER on February 7, 2023, a day after the February 6 earthquakes, an investigation was launched into Yavuz Ekinci’s novel Shared Dreams published by Doğan Kitap in 2014.

On March 14, 2023, the 7th Istanbul Criminal Peace Court issued a decision to confiscate the books. Following this, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office also started an investigation.