After 4 Acquittals, Trial of Turkish-French Sociologist Binar Sılik Continues in Turkey

The Istanbul court has delayed the trial of French-Turkish sociologist Binar Sılik for the eighth time in a case where she is being tried in absentia on charges of "terrorism," according to AFP.

The next hearing, which began in March 2023, is expected to take place on February 5, 2027, as announced by a judge at the Çaglayan Court in Istanbul at the end of a brief session attended by dozens of Sılik’s supporters, many of whom came from France.

In 1998, the writer and refugee sociologist Binar Sılik (54) was arrested and jailed after conducting a long series of interviews within Kurdish communities.

She was accused of involvement in a deadly explosion at an Istanbul market, later revealed to be an accident, and was released in 2000. She was acquitted four times in 2006, 2008, 2011, and 2014.

She continued working in Turkey for a period before going into exile in 2009 following increasing threats against her after publishing a bestselling book of testimonies about military service.