“Hope Trial” postponed to July 14th

The trial of Oğuz Demir, one of the fugitive defendants in the case known to the public as the ‘Hope Trial’ concerning the murders of Uğur Mumcu, Ahmet Taner Kışlalı, Muammer Aksoy and Bahriye Üçok, continued.

Özge Mumcu, the daughter of Uğur Mumcu, and the plaintiff's lawyer attended the hearing at the Ankara 5th High Criminal Court.

The hearing was followed by a delegation that included CHP Group Deputy Chairman Gökhan Günaydın.

After reading the documents submitted to the court, the presiding judge gave the floor to the plaintiff's lawyer.

The plaintiff's lawyer requested an investigation into the whereabouts of the vehicle with the licence plate ‘06 APJ 03’ registered in the name of the defendant Oğuz Demir, stated that he suspected the defendant and his relatives had fled to Australia, and requested that letters be sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the General Directorate of Security, and the National Intelligence Organisation (MİT) requesting that information and documents related to the matter be sent to the court.

Following the lawyer's statement, the public prosecutor, whose opinion was sought, requested that a decision be made to await the arrest of the defendant Oğuz Demir, for whom an arrest warrant had been issued.

Announcing its interim decision, the court ruled that the General Directorate of Security should be asked whether the vehicle with the licence plate ‘06 APJ 03’, stated to belong to the defendant, was registered in the security records.

The court ruled that a memorandum should be sent to the National Intelligence Organisation (MİT) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, inquiring about the whereabouts of the defendant and his family, and that the arrest of the defendant Oğuz Demir, for whom an arrest warrant had been issued, should be awaited.

The hearing was postponed until 14 July.

‘DOESN'T SOMEONE WANT TO PULL THAT BRICK?’

Speaking to the press after the hearing, CHP Deputy Group Chairman Gökhan Günaydın recalled that 33 years had passed since Uğur Mumcu's assassination, saying, ‘We are still faced with a case that has not been fully clarified in 33 years.’

Pointing out that the defendant, Oğuz Demir, is wanted with a red notice but has not been caught to date, Günaydın said, ‘Doesn't someone want to pull that brick? The court's memorandum clearly shows where this case has been for 33 years. We see a lack of political will here.’

Günaydın stated that Uğur Mumcu was a courageous intellectual who pursued all events in Turkey, saying, ‘We will definitely uncover all the perpetrators in the end. We will definitely pull that brick out of there. Let the wall collapse on whoever's head it needs to collapse on, as long as Turkey is enlightened.’

Uğur Mumcu's daughter, Özge Mumcu, also said, ‘Unfortunately, Turkey has added new unsolved murders to its list, and our quest for justice continues together so that no more are added. It will continue to do so. Those bricks will be pulled out, those walls will be torn down.’

Note: This article is translated from the original article titled 'Umut Davası' 14 Temmuz'a ertelendi, published in BirGün newspaper on February 9, 2026.