Journalists in State of Emergency – 7

Twelve out of 14 journalists who testified to prosecutors on August 4 as part of the investigation into the failed coup attempt of July 15 were put under arrest by court order in the early hours of August 5.  
 
The latest arrests bring the total number of journalists arrested in the investigation so far to 42.
 
The Istanbul 3rd Criminal Judicature of Peace on duty on August 5 ruled for the arrest of former Zaman Columnist Mümtazer Türköne; Hüseyin Turan, a former partner of the Feza Media Group, and Murat Avcıoğlu on charges of “knowingly and willfully assisting an armed terrorist organization.” It also ruled for the arrest of former Cihan Media Group Director Alattin Güner; former Executive Vice President of Irmak TV Şeref Yılmaz; former Vice President of Cihan Media’s Executive Board Ahmet Metin Sekizkardeş; former Cihan News Agency General Manager Faruk Akkan; Mehmet Özdemir; Zaman Newspaper Visual Director Fevzi Yazıcı; FIA Company partner Zafer Özsoy; Cuma Kaya, and Hakan Taşdelen on charges of “membership in an armed terrorist organization.” Former head of Timaş Publishing, Osman Nuri Öztürk and FIA Company partner Osman Nuri Arslan were released on probation.
 
FIA, a company that was pretty much out of the public eye before the coup investigation, appears to be the owner of several printing houses of the Feza Group, the owners of the now defunct Zaman daily. In March, government-appointed trustees took over the company’s administration, shortly after Feza Group outlets Zaman and Cihan had met the same fate. Cihan Media donated its TV reporting equipment to FİA before its management’s handover to government trustees, according to stories in the press.
 
Lawyers object to arrest ruling for Şahin Alpay
 
Lawyers for Şahin Alpay, a former Zaman columnist who was detained on July 27 and arrested on July 31, filed an objection with prosecutors against the arrest ruling for the journalist on August 5. The exact same ruling was issued for five others.
 
In their petition, the lawyers argued that Alpay, an academic and intellectual, had never been affiliated with any religious group. Other objections were raised against some of the points in the court ruling, which listed Zaman Editor-in-Chief Ekrem Dumanlı leaving the country while being investigated among its reasons for the ruling. The lawyers argued that basing the arrest decision on Dumanlı’s situation is a violation of the principle of individual criminal responsibility.
 
The arrest ruling also argued that the authors who kept writing for Zaman in the recent period “should have understood that the organization was going to stage an armed uprising”. The lawyers pointed out that many state officials, including Presient Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, had made statements indicating they had never expected that such an attempt would take place.
 
After the coup probe, the İstanbul Prosecutor’s Office issued arrest warrants for 47 journalists as well as executives who worked with the Zaman daily before the newspaper’s management was assigned to government-appointed trustees. Six people were arrested and one was released on July 31.
 
Coup probe taken out of FOI scope
On August Turkey’s Review Board of Access to Information (BEDK), the information commission in charge of hearing appeals against information requests, adopted a resolution to leave information requests regarding the public servants who have been removed from office under decrees issued since the start of State of Emergency conditions outside the scope of Turkey’s Right to Information Law No 4982. The board’s resolution states that information requests regarding civil servants who are subject to an administrative or judicial investigation in relation with the coup probe, or those civil servants who have been removed from office under suspicion of affiliation with groups that are “conducting activities against the national security of the state” will be treated as outside the scope of right to know legislation.

State of Emergency detentions and arrests outside the coup probe 

IMC TV reported on Aug. 5 that two Dicle News Agency (DİHA) reporters, Selman Keleş and İdris Yılmaz, were detained by police in Hakkari’s Yüksekova district while filming in the area.
 
Last known legal status of journalists for whom detention warrants have been issued as part of post-coup probe
 

 
 
Journalists detained under State of Emergency outside coup probe
 
Selami Aslan – DİHA, Released
Mehmet Sıddık Damar – DİHA, Released
Esra Aydın – JİNHA, Released
Geylan Arslan – JİNHA, Released
Nizamettin Yılmaz – Azadiya Welat, In custody
İdris Yılmaz – DİHA, In custody
Selman Keleş – DİHA,  In custody

Journalists known to have been arrested during State of Emergency outside coup probe
 
Zeynel Abidin Bulut – Azadiya Welat 
Zehra Doğan – JİNHA 
Hülya Karakaya – Özgür Halk
Mehmet Arslan – DİHA
 

List of media outlets shut down under State of Emergency decrees

TV Stations: Barış TV, Bugün TV, Can Erzincan TV, Dünya TV, Hira TV, Irmak TV, Kanal 124, Kanaltürk, MC TV, Mehtap TV, Merkür TV, Samanyolu Haber, Samanyolu TV, SRT TV, Tuna Shopping TV, Yumurcak TV.
News Agencies: Cihan Haber Ajansı, Muhabir Haber Ajansı and  SEM Haber Ajansı 
Newspapers: Adana Haber, Adana Medya, Akdeniz Türk, Şuhut’un Sesi, Kurtuluş, Lider, İscehisar, Durum, Türkeli, Antalya, Yerel Bakış, Nazar, Batman, Batman Postası, Batman Doğuş, Bingöl Olay, İrade, İskenderun Olay, Ekonomi, Ege’de Son Söz, Demokrat Gebze, Kocaeli Manşet, Bizim Kocaeli, Haber Kütahya, Gediz, Zafer, Hisar, Turgutlu Havadis, Milas Feza, Türkiye’de Yeni Yıldız, Hakikat, Urfa Haber Ajansı, Ajans 11, Yeni Emek, Banaz Postası, Son Nokta, Merkür Haber, Millet, Bugün, Meydan, Özgür Düşünce, Taraf, Yarına Bakış, Yeni Hayat, Zaman, Today’s Zaman.
Magazines: Akademik Araştırmalar, Aksiyon, Asya Pasifik, Bisiklet Çocuk, Diyalog, Avrasya, Ekolife, Ekoloji, Fountain, Gonca, Gül Yaprağı, Nokta, Sızıntı, Yağmur, Yeni Ümit, Zirve.
Radio stations: Aksaray Mavi, Aktüel, Berfin, Burç, Cihan, Dünya, Esra, Haber Radyo Ege, Herkül, Jest, Kanaltürk, Radyo 59, Radyo Aile Rehberi, Radyo Bamteli, Radyo Cihan, Radyo Fıkıh, Radyo Küre, Radyo Mehtap, Radyo Nur, Radyo Şemşik, Samanyolu Haber, Umut, Yağmur.
Publishing houses: Altınburç, Burak Basın Yayın Dağıtım, Define, Dolunay Eğitim Yayın Dağıtım, Giresun Basın Yayın Dağıtım, Gonca, Gülyurdu, GYV, Işık Akademi, Işık Özel Eğitim, İklim Basın Yayın Pazarlama, Kaydırak, Kaynak, Kervan Basın Yayıncılık, Kuşak, Muştu, Nil, Rehber, Sürat Basım Yayın Reklamcılık Eğitim Araçları, Sütun, Şahdamar, Ufuk Basın Yayın Haber Ajans Pazarlama, Ufuk, Waşanxaneya Nil, Yay Basın Dağıtım, Yeni Akademi, Yitik Hazine, Zambak Basın Yayın Eğitim Turizm
 
*Glossary of legal terms used in this text
Detain / Place in custody: To hold in police custody for police interrogation first, and later for testimony to a prosecutor. Might lead to a court appearance depending on the action taken by the prosecutor. 
Arrest: To put into prison indefinitely – by court order – pending trial. 
Released on probation: Released with an international flight ban issued. Usually entails checking in regularly with a designated police station. 
 
These lists have been compiled by P24 editors from open news sources and will be updated regularly. Journalists who want to report developments about themselves or their colleagues can contact us at punto24info@gmail.com