22.10.2026 14:30
In a case heard in Ankara, lawyer Alperen Demirdiş, who requested the recusal of the presiding judge and a member judge on the grounds that they wore headscarves, was acquitted in the trial against him, which sought up to 3 years in prison, on the grounds that the legal elements of the offense were not established.
In the case filed against lawyer Alperen Demirdiş, who during a hearing in Ankara requested the recusal of the judge on the grounds that the presiding judge and a member judge were wearing headscarves, the verdict has been announced. Lawyer Demirdiş, for whom up to 3 years in prison was sought on two separate charges, was unanimously acquitted on the grounds that the legal elements of the offenses were not established.
THE PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE HAD SOUGHT A PRISON SENTENCE
In the indictment prepared by the Ankara West Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it was stated that lawyer Alperen Demirdiş found it contrary to the principle of secularism that the presiding judge and a member judge were wearing headscarves in a drug case heard at Ankara 1st Heavy Penal Court on May 14, 2024. In the indictment, which emphasized that the wearing of a headscarf is not among the grounds for recusal of a judge set out in the law, Demirdiş was requested to be sentenced to between 1 and 3 years in prison for the offenses of 'abuse of duty' and 'publicly degrading the religious values adopted by a segment of the people.' The trial prosecutor also reiterated the request for punishment in his opinion.
THE COURT FOUND NO ELEMENT OF OFFENSE
At the final hearing held at Ankara 11th Heavy Penal Court, the defendant's lawyer, making a defense, stated that his client's request fell within the scope of the right to defense and his duty and requested acquittal. The court panel that ruled on the case, finding that the legal elements of the charges brought were not established, decided unanimously to acquit Alperen Demirdiş of both offenses.
WHAT HAD HAPPENED?
Lawyer Alperen Demirdiş, in a drug trafficking case heard at Ankara 1st Heavy Penal Court on May 14, 2024, requested the recusal of the judge on the grounds that the presiding judge and a member judge were wearing headscarves. After Demirdiş's request, an investigation was launched against him, and in the prepared indictment his punishment was sought for two separate offenses. In the case in which Demirdiş was tried, the prosecutor's office also maintained its request for a prison sentence in its opinion on the merits. However, the court ruled for acquittal, deciding that the legal elements of the offenses were not established.