Turkish Cypriot journalist’s trial postponed again

The trial of Turkish Cypriot journalist Ali Kismir, who faces up to ten years in prison for “insulting” the Turkish Cypriot armed forces, was postponed again on Friday.

Friday’s postponement was the latest of many and ensures that the earliest possible starting date for the trial, now set at October 25, will be over a year after the initially scheduled starting date of October 6 last year.

Kismir stands accused of “insulting” the Turkish Cypriot armed forces when he likened the headquarters of the ‘TRNC security forces command’ to a ‘brothel’ in 2020 after it had allegedly been visited by representatives of Ersin Tatar in the run-up to that October’s Turkish Cypriot leadership election.

Outside court on Friday, Cyprus Turkish bar association chairman Hasan Esendagli said it had “become clear” in previous hearings that the north’s prosecutor’s office “would not withdraw the case and would insist that the case would be carried out through hearings.”

As such, he said the case had been postponed on this occasion so as to be able to schedule the witnesses and calculate how much work it will take for the court to hold the case.