PLATFORM FOR INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM
BAĞIMSIZ GAZETECİLİK PLATFORMU
12 May
Journalists in State of Emergency - 140
Özgür Gündem publisher and editor jailed; Court lifts Şahin Alpay’s house arrest, releases 2 journalists from pretrial detention in “Zaman trial”
Two Turkish courts on May 11 jailed Kemal Sancılı, the owner of the publishing rights of the shuttered pro-Kurdish newspaper Özgür Gündem, and the newspaper’s Managing Editor Reyhan Çapan.
Mezopotamya news agency reported on Friday that Sancılı was arrested two days ago in İpsala, a district of the western province of Edirne. He was brought before a judge at the İpsala Courthouse on May 11, where he was jailed and sent to the Silivri Prison. No further information was available as of May 12 on the grounds for his detention.
Çapan, on the other hand, was taken into custody on May 10 in Hopa, a district of the Black Sea city of Artvin, on grounds of an arrest warrant. She appeared before a judge on May 11 at the Artivn Courthouse. The judge jailed Çapan and ruled for her to be sent to the Artvin Prison, from where she was to be transferred to the Sivas Women’s Prison.
Reports said Çapan was imprisoned to serve a 15-month sentence which was handed down by an Istanbul court and upheld by a regional administrative court. Numerous legal fines Çapan was handed down by various courts had also been commissioned to prison sentences, reports said.
Two journalists released, Alpay’s house arrest lifted in Zaman trial
The fourth hearing in the trial into 11 former columnists and editors of the shuttered Zaman daily was held on May 10 and 11 at the 13th High Criminal Court of Istanbul. In its interim decision at the end of the hearing, the court ruled to release columnist Ali Bulaç and Zaman’s former Responsible Managing Editor Mehmet Özdemir from pretrial detention, while ordering the lifting of Şahin Alpay’s house arrest. The court set June 7 and 8 as the dates for the next hearing.
A detailed report on the two-day hearing, monitored by P24, can be found here.
Also on May 10, Ali Ünal, another former Zaman columnist, appeared before a court in the western province of Uşak for the third hearing of a case where he faces aggravated life sentence and up to 29.5 years in prison on “coup” and “terrorism” charges. The Uşak 2nd High Criminal Court ordered the continuation of Ünal’s detention on remand and adjourned the trial until July 18, 2018.
For a detailed report on the hearing, also monitored by P24, click here.
Şerife Oruç remains behind bars after 5th hearing
The fifth hearing of a trial in which journalist Şerife Oruç faces terrorism-related charges based on witness testimony against her was held on May 8 at the 2nd High Criminal Court of Batman. The court ordered for the witnesses to be brought to court by force and the continuation of the pretrial detention of Oruç and the other suspects, setting July 9, 2018, as the date for the next hearing.
A report about the hearing, monitored by P24, can be found here.
İshak Karakaş released from pretrial detention at first hearing
İshak Karakaş, the editor-in-chief of local newspaper Halkın Nabzı and a contributor to the news website Artı Gerçek, was released from pretrial detention on May 8, 2018, at the end of the first hearing of his trial. The 28th High Criminal Court of Istanbul ruled to release Karakaş under judicial control measures. Karakaş had been in prison since late January, when he was arrested on account of his social media posts critical of Turkey’s military operation on Syria’s Afrin.
To read more about the hearing, monitored by P24, click here.
Retrial of “MİT trucks case” against Can Dündar under way
The 14th High Criminal Court of Istanbul on May 7, began the retrial of Can Dündar, former editor-in-chief of Cumhuriyet daily, and Erdem Gül, the newspaper’s Ankara representative, in the case publicly known as the “MİT trucks case.”
The court had sentenced Dündar to 5 years and 10 months and Gül to 5 years in prison for “disclosing documents related to the security of the state” in relation with the publication of a news report about the Syria-bound National Intelligence Agency (MİT) trucks in Cumhuriyet’s May 29, 2015, edition.
In its review of that ruling in March, the 16th Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Appeals reversed the trial court’s judgment, saying the verdict for Dündar should have been based on “espionage” charges and that Gül should have been acquitted.
Complying with the Supreme Court of Appeals ruling, the trial court started the retrial on May 7. Issuing an interim ruling at the end of the hearing, the court ordered the separation of Erdem Gül’s file from this case and adjourned the trial until October 2, 2018, awaiting the result of an application filed by Turkish authorities to Belgium for Can Dündar’s extradition.
On May 9, the same court this time held the sixth hearing of another trial also based on the publication of the MİT trucks report, in which Dündar and Gül are co-defendants alongside Republican People’s Party (CHP) İstanbul MP Enis Berberoğlu.
Dündar, Gül and the imprisoned Berberoğlu are indicted for “knowingly and willingly aiding a terrorist organization without being its member” in this case.
Berberoğlu and Gül appeared before the court at the hearing, where Dündar was represented by his lawyer.
Since a different chief judge was presiding over the panel during this hearing, Berberoğlu’s lawyers requested for the witnesses in favor to be heard at a later session. Accepting the lawyers’ request, the court adjourned the trial until July 18, 2018.
Özgür Gündem trials postponed until July
The seventh hearing of the trial against nine former editors and columnists of the shuttered pro-Kurdish newspaper Özgür Gündem was held on May 7 at the 14th High Criminal Court of Istanbul. The newspaper’s former co-editors-in-chief Eren Keskin and Hüseyin Aykol, editors Reyhan Çapan, Filiz Koçali, lawyers Ayşe Batumlu, Nuray Özdoğan, writer Ayşe Berktay, spokesperson of The ’78ers Initiative, Celalettin Can, and Özgürlükçü Demokrasi editor Reyhan Hacıoğlu are standing trial on “propaganda” charges in the case.
Addressing the court, Keskin requested additional time for here defense statement, while her lawyer requested for the investigations to be expanded. The court accepted the requests and adjourned the trial until July 9, 2018.
The same day, the 14th High Criminal Court of Istanbul also held the seventh hearing of the trial into journalists who joined in a solidarity campaign for Özgür Gündem.
Submitting his final opinion during that hearing, the prosecutor requested prison sentences for 11 journalists standing trial in the case on the charge of “conducting propaganda for a terrorist organization.”
P24 monitored both hearings in the courtroom. To read more about the first hearing, click here. A report about the second hearing can be found here.
Former Dihaber reporter Gökhan Öner jailed pending trial
Gökhan Öner, a former reporter for the shuttered Dihaber news agency, was jailed pending trial on May 5 by a court in Denizli.
Öner was taken into custody on April 28 during police raids in Denizli. After testifying before a prosecutor on May 5 at the Denizli Courthouse, Öner was referred to court for detention on the charge of “membership in a terrorist group.” A Criminal Judgeship of Peace ruled to jail Öner pending trial.
Reports said accusations against Öner were based on news stories he penned for Dihaber that were found on his computer, and a complaint filed about the journalist.
Other freedom of expression cases of the past week
An Istanbul court on May 10 jailed one more Boğaziçi University student pending trial on the charge of “conducting propaganda for a terrorist organization.” The student was sent to the Silivri Prison. The latest development brought the number of Boğaziçi students jailed for taking part in an anti-war protest on campus to 14.
On May 10, three Istanbul courts heard the cases of four academics indicted for “conducting propaganda for a terrorist organization” for signing a 2016 declaration by the Academics for Peace initiative. The Appearing before the 37th High Criminal Court of Istanbul for the first hearing of his trial, Dr. Bülent Eken rejected the accusations and requested his acquittal. The court postponed the trial to October 4. The 27th High Criminal Court adjourned Assistant Professor Murat Koyuncu’s trial to October 16 because Koyuncu was abroad. Assistant Professor Çağla Diner and Professor Neşe Yıldıran appeared before the 35th High Criminal Court for the second hearings of their trials, which the court adjourned until September 11 and October 2, respectively.
A new indictment issued by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor accuses 11 opposition politicians of “conducting propaganda for a terrorist organization” and “openly inciting the public to hatred and animosity” for their public statements critical of Turkey’s military operation on Syria’s Afrin. Professor Onur Hamzaoğlu, the co-spokesperson of the People’s Democratic Congress (HDK), Serpil Kemalbay, the former co-chairperson of the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) and Musa Piroğlu, the chairman of the Revolutionary Party are among the politicians named as suspects in the indictment, which seeks up to 8 years in prison for each. Some books found in Hamzaoğlu’s apartment are held as evidence against him in the indictment.
Upcoming journalist trials this month
Following is a brief overview of some of the major ongoing journalist trials in Turkey, selected from a comprehensive list compiled by P24. For further information on upcoming journalist trials in Turkey, visit this regularly updated webpage.
Cumhuriyet reporter Ahmet Şık will appear before the 17th Criminal Court of First Instance on May 22 for the third hearing of a case in which he is indicted for “openly denigrating the Republic of Turkey, its judicial organs and its military and police,” facing a prison sentence between 6 months and 2 years.
Imprisoned journalist Nazlı Ilıcak will appeare before the 26th High Criminal Court of Istanbul on May 23 for the second hearing of a trial in which she is facing life imprisonment on “espionage” charges on account of a newspaper column she wrote in 2015.
Also on May 23, Erdoğan Alayumat and Nuri Akman, two reporters for the shuttered Dihaber news agency, are set to appear before the 2nd High Criminal court of Hatay for the third hearing of their trial in which both face up to 45 years in prison on “espionage” and “membership in a terrorist organization” charges. Alayumat has been in detention on remand since July 2017 as part of this case.
P24 updates its list of jailed journalists and media workers
P24 has updated its list of jailed journalists and media workers, a list compiled from open sources using information available to the general public.
Following Ali Bulaç, Mehmet Özdemir and İshak Karakaş’s release and the imprisonment of Kemal Sancılı, Reyhan Çapan and Gökhan Öner, during the past seven days, there are at least 174 journalists and media workers either in pretrial detention or serving prison sentences in Turkey’s prisons as of May 11, 2018.
The full list can be accessed here.
1 Abdulkadir Turay, DİHA reporter
2 Abdullah Kaya, DİHA
3 Abdullah Kılıç, Habertürk
4 Abdullah Özyurt, Zaman reporter
5 Abdulvahap İş, freelance journalist
6 Adil Demirci, ETHA reporter
7 Ahmet Altan
8 Ahmet Feyzullah Özyurt
9 Ahmet Memiş, Haberdar news website
10 Ahmet Metin Sekizkardeş, Zaman
11 Ahmet Turan Alkan, Zaman
12 Ahmet Yavaş, TRT (Erzurum)
13 Ali Ahmet Böken, TRT News coordinator
14 Ali Akkuş, Zaman
15 Ali Aşikar, Azadiya Welat
16 Ali Babür Boysal, Zaman page designer
17 Ali Sönmez Kayar, ETHA reporter
18 Ali Ünal, Zaman columnist
19 Ali Yüce, TRT Radio broadcasts chief
20 Arafat Dayan, Demokratik Ulus
21 Aslı Ceren Aslan, Özgür Gelecek
22 Ayşe Nazlı Ilıcak
23 Ayşenur Parıldak, Zaman, Haberdar
24 Aytekin Gezici, journalist/writer
25 Aziz İstegün, Diyarbakır Zaman representative
26 Barış Ceyhan, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi employee
27 Bayram Kaya, Zaman reporter
28 Behram Kılıç
29 Beytullah Özdemir, Zaman Düzce bureau chief
30 Burçin Dokgöz, former Zaman and Çorum reporter
31 Cemal Azmi Kalyoncu, Journalists and Writers’ Foundation
32 Cemal Tunç, Gün Matbaacılık employee
33 Ceren Taşkın, Hatay'ın Sesi
34 Cuma Ulus, Millet newspaper’s publications coordinator
35 Cumali Öz, Gün Matbaacılık employee
36 Cüneyt Seza Özkan, Samanyolu TV
37 Çetin Kurşun, Azadiya Welat
38 Emin Demir, freelancer
39 Emre Soncan, Zaman defense reporter
40 Ercan Gün, Fox TV
41 Erdal Süsem, Eylül magazine editor
42 Erdal Şen, former Meydan managing editor
43 Erdoğan Alayumat, Dihaber reporter
44 Erdoğan Zamur, Gün Matbaacılık employee
45 Erol Yüksel, TRT News Department vice president
46 Erol Zavar, Odak magazine owner and newsroom director
47 Fahrettin Kılıç, Özgür Toplum
48 Faruk Akkan, Cihan news agency
49 Ferhat Çiftçi, Azadiya Welat Gaziantep bureau chief
50 Ferhat Parlak, Silvan Mücadele newspaper owner
51 Fevzi Yazıcı, Zaman chief designer
52 Gökçe Fırat Çulhaoğlu, Türksolu columnist
53 Gökhan Öner, former Dihaber reporter
54 Gurbet Çakar, Hevi women’s magazine
55 Gültekin Avcı
56 Habip Güler, Zaman reporter
57 Hakan Aksel, TRT producer-director
58 Hakan Ergün, Azadiya Welat and Özgür Gündem distributor
59 Hakan Taşdelen
60 Halil İbrahim Mert, TRT (Erzurum)
61 Hamit Dilbahar, Azadiya Welat columnist
62 Hamza Günerigök, TRT
63 Hanım Büşra Erdal, Zaman reporter and columnist
64 Hasan Duman, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi distributor
65 Hatice Duman, Atılım newspaper owner and managing editor
66 Havva Cuştan, ETHA reporter
67 Haydar Ergül, Demokratik Modernite editor
68 Hicran Ürün, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi editor
69 Hidayet Karaca, Samanyolu Media Group president
70 Hüseyin Aydın, Cihan reporter
71 İbrahim Kareyeğen, responsible editor for Zaman
72 İdris Okur, Cihan New Agency Çorum reporter
73 İdris Sayılgan, DİHA
74 İdris Yılmaz
75 İhsan Sinmiş, Gün Matbaacılık employee
76 İhsan Yaşar, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi owner
77 İrfan Karaca, Gün Matbaacılık employee
78 İshak Yasul, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi responsible managing editor
79 İsmail Çoban, former Azadiya Welat managing editor
80 İsmail Ersan, Anatolia news agency
81 İsminaz Temel, ETHA editor
82 Kamuran Sunbat, former DİHA Çukurova reporter
83 Kasım Zengin, owner of Gün Matbaacılık
84 Kazım Göçer, Gün Matbaacılık employee
85 Kemal Daşdöğen, Gün Matbaacılık employee
86 Kemal Demir, TV 10
87 Kemal Özer, Evrensel
88 Kemal Sancılı, Özgür Gündem copyrights holder
89 Kenan Karavil, Radyo Dünya editor-in-chief
90 Kubilay Çelik, Antropolog magazine responsible managing editor
91 Mahmut Abay, Gün Matbaacılık employee
92 Mehmet Ali Ay
93 Mehmet Ali Çelebi, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi editor
94 Mehmet Altan
95 Mehmet Baransu, Taraf columnist/reporter
96 Mehmet Dursun
97 Mehmet Emin Sümeli, Gün Matbaacılık employee
98 Mehmet Güleş, DİHA
99 Mehmet Gündem
100 Mehmet Kadir Özkara, Gün Matbaacılık employee
101 Mehmet Kuru, Zaman Eskişehir reporter
102 Mehmet Sıddık damar, DİHA
103 Meltem Oktay, DİHA reporter
104 Mikail Barut, Özgür Halk former editor
105 Miktat Algül, Mezitli FM broadcast coordinator
106 Mizgin Çay, Radyo Karacadağ
107 Muhammed Sait Kuloğlu, owner of Subuhaber.com
108 Muhammet Özkan, Gün Matbaacılık employee
109 Muhsin Pilgir, Zaman and Cihan news agency
110 Murat Çapan, Nokta
111 Murat Dağdeviren, Demokrat Gebze owner
112 Musa Kaya, Gün Matbaacılık employee
113 Mustafa Erkan Acar, Bugün news editor
114 Mustafa Gök, Ankara bureau chief for Ekmek ve Adalet magazine
115 Mustafa Göktaş, Özgür Gündem Şanlıurfa reporter
116 Mustafa Ünal, Zaman
117 Mutlu Çölgeçen, Millet, newsroom coordinator
118 Mutlu Özay, Cihan reporter
119 Mümtazer Türköne, Zaman columnist
120 Mürsel Demir, Gün Matbaacılık employee
121 Nadir Yücel, Çorum Yıldız local newspaper editor-in-chief
122 Necat Hizarcı, Gün Matbaacılık employee
123 Nedim Türfent, DİHA
124 Nizamettin İzgi, Batman newspaper owner
125 Nuh Gönültaş, Bugün columnist
126 Nuri Durna, TRT
127 Nuri Yeşil, Azadiya Welat Dersim bureau chief
128 Nurullah Kaya, Gaziantep Zaman representative
129 Oğuz Usluer, Habertürk former broadcasts coordinator
130 Osman Yakut, Zaman Antalya
131 Ömer Oruç, Cihan newspaper
132 Özcan Keser, TRT reporter
133 Özgür Bozkurt, Gün Matbaacılık employee
134 Pınar Gayıp, ETHA reporter
135 Pınar Tarlak, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi employee
136 Polat Arslan, Gün Matbaacılık employee
137 Reyhan Çapan, Özgür Gündem managing editor
138 Reyhan Hacıoğlu, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi editor
139 Sadettin Demirtaş, Gün Matbaacılık employee
140 Sadık Demir, Radyo Karacadağ
141 Sait Gürkan Tuzlu, Cihan reporter
142 Salih Erbekler, Radyo Karacadağ
143 Sami Tunca, Mücadele Birliği magazine managing editor
144 Seda Taşkın, Mezopotamya News Agency reporter
145 Semiha Mete, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi reporter/distributor
146 Semiha Şahin, ETHA editor
147 Serhat Şeftali, Zaman regional bureau chief for the Med region
148 Serkan Aydemir, Bitlis Aktüel reporter
149 Serpil Ünal, Mücadele Birliği reporter
150 Sertan Önal, Halkın Günlüğü reporter
151 Seyid Kılıç, TRT News
152 Seyithan Akyüz, Azadiya Welat Adana bureau chief
153 Songül Yücel, Önsöz editor in chief
154 Süleyman Acar, Mücadele Birliği editor in chief
155 Süleyman Güneş, Gün Matbaacılık employee
156 Şahabettin Demir, DİHA reporter
157 Şeref Yılmaz, Irmak TV
158 Şerife Oruç, DİHA reporter
159 Togay Okay, Özgür Gelecek
160 Turgut Usul, TRT reporter
161 Ufuk Şanlı, former Vatan columnist
162 Uğur Selman Kelekçiler, Gün Matbaacılık employee
163 Ünal Tanık, Rota Haber editor-in-chief
164 Vahit Yazgan, İzmir Zaman bureau chief
165 Veli Büyükşahin, TV10 executive
166 Veli Haydar Güleç, TV10 executive
167 Yakup Çetin, Zaman reporter
168 Yakup Şimşek, Zaman, marketing director
169 Yalçın Güler, TRT (Erzurum)
170 Yener Dönmez, Habervaktim news website
171 Yetkin Yıldız, Aktif Haber website editor
172 Yılmaz Kahraman, Özgür Halk editor
173 Zehra Doğan, Jinha
174 Ziya Ataman, DİHA reporter
Mezopotamya news agency reported on Friday that Sancılı was arrested two days ago in İpsala, a district of the western province of Edirne. He was brought before a judge at the İpsala Courthouse on May 11, where he was jailed and sent to the Silivri Prison. No further information was available as of May 12 on the grounds for his detention.
Çapan, on the other hand, was taken into custody on May 10 in Hopa, a district of the Black Sea city of Artvin, on grounds of an arrest warrant. She appeared before a judge on May 11 at the Artivn Courthouse. The judge jailed Çapan and ruled for her to be sent to the Artvin Prison, from where she was to be transferred to the Sivas Women’s Prison.
Reports said Çapan was imprisoned to serve a 15-month sentence which was handed down by an Istanbul court and upheld by a regional administrative court. Numerous legal fines Çapan was handed down by various courts had also been commissioned to prison sentences, reports said.
Two journalists released, Alpay’s house arrest lifted in Zaman trial
The fourth hearing in the trial into 11 former columnists and editors of the shuttered Zaman daily was held on May 10 and 11 at the 13th High Criminal Court of Istanbul. In its interim decision at the end of the hearing, the court ruled to release columnist Ali Bulaç and Zaman’s former Responsible Managing Editor Mehmet Özdemir from pretrial detention, while ordering the lifting of Şahin Alpay’s house arrest. The court set June 7 and 8 as the dates for the next hearing.
A detailed report on the two-day hearing, monitored by P24, can be found here.
Also on May 10, Ali Ünal, another former Zaman columnist, appeared before a court in the western province of Uşak for the third hearing of a case where he faces aggravated life sentence and up to 29.5 years in prison on “coup” and “terrorism” charges. The Uşak 2nd High Criminal Court ordered the continuation of Ünal’s detention on remand and adjourned the trial until July 18, 2018.
For a detailed report on the hearing, also monitored by P24, click here.
Şerife Oruç remains behind bars after 5th hearing
The fifth hearing of a trial in which journalist Şerife Oruç faces terrorism-related charges based on witness testimony against her was held on May 8 at the 2nd High Criminal Court of Batman. The court ordered for the witnesses to be brought to court by force and the continuation of the pretrial detention of Oruç and the other suspects, setting July 9, 2018, as the date for the next hearing.
A report about the hearing, monitored by P24, can be found here.
İshak Karakaş released from pretrial detention at first hearing
İshak Karakaş, the editor-in-chief of local newspaper Halkın Nabzı and a contributor to the news website Artı Gerçek, was released from pretrial detention on May 8, 2018, at the end of the first hearing of his trial. The 28th High Criminal Court of Istanbul ruled to release Karakaş under judicial control measures. Karakaş had been in prison since late January, when he was arrested on account of his social media posts critical of Turkey’s military operation on Syria’s Afrin.
To read more about the hearing, monitored by P24, click here.
Retrial of “MİT trucks case” against Can Dündar under way
The 14th High Criminal Court of Istanbul on May 7, began the retrial of Can Dündar, former editor-in-chief of Cumhuriyet daily, and Erdem Gül, the newspaper’s Ankara representative, in the case publicly known as the “MİT trucks case.”
The court had sentenced Dündar to 5 years and 10 months and Gül to 5 years in prison for “disclosing documents related to the security of the state” in relation with the publication of a news report about the Syria-bound National Intelligence Agency (MİT) trucks in Cumhuriyet’s May 29, 2015, edition.
In its review of that ruling in March, the 16th Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Appeals reversed the trial court’s judgment, saying the verdict for Dündar should have been based on “espionage” charges and that Gül should have been acquitted.
Complying with the Supreme Court of Appeals ruling, the trial court started the retrial on May 7. Issuing an interim ruling at the end of the hearing, the court ordered the separation of Erdem Gül’s file from this case and adjourned the trial until October 2, 2018, awaiting the result of an application filed by Turkish authorities to Belgium for Can Dündar’s extradition.
On May 9, the same court this time held the sixth hearing of another trial also based on the publication of the MİT trucks report, in which Dündar and Gül are co-defendants alongside Republican People’s Party (CHP) İstanbul MP Enis Berberoğlu.
Dündar, Gül and the imprisoned Berberoğlu are indicted for “knowingly and willingly aiding a terrorist organization without being its member” in this case.
Berberoğlu and Gül appeared before the court at the hearing, where Dündar was represented by his lawyer.
Since a different chief judge was presiding over the panel during this hearing, Berberoğlu’s lawyers requested for the witnesses in favor to be heard at a later session. Accepting the lawyers’ request, the court adjourned the trial until July 18, 2018.
Özgür Gündem trials postponed until July
The seventh hearing of the trial against nine former editors and columnists of the shuttered pro-Kurdish newspaper Özgür Gündem was held on May 7 at the 14th High Criminal Court of Istanbul. The newspaper’s former co-editors-in-chief Eren Keskin and Hüseyin Aykol, editors Reyhan Çapan, Filiz Koçali, lawyers Ayşe Batumlu, Nuray Özdoğan, writer Ayşe Berktay, spokesperson of The ’78ers Initiative, Celalettin Can, and Özgürlükçü Demokrasi editor Reyhan Hacıoğlu are standing trial on “propaganda” charges in the case.
Addressing the court, Keskin requested additional time for here defense statement, while her lawyer requested for the investigations to be expanded. The court accepted the requests and adjourned the trial until July 9, 2018.
The same day, the 14th High Criminal Court of Istanbul also held the seventh hearing of the trial into journalists who joined in a solidarity campaign for Özgür Gündem.
Submitting his final opinion during that hearing, the prosecutor requested prison sentences for 11 journalists standing trial in the case on the charge of “conducting propaganda for a terrorist organization.”
P24 monitored both hearings in the courtroom. To read more about the first hearing, click here. A report about the second hearing can be found here.
Former Dihaber reporter Gökhan Öner jailed pending trial
Gökhan Öner, a former reporter for the shuttered Dihaber news agency, was jailed pending trial on May 5 by a court in Denizli.
Öner was taken into custody on April 28 during police raids in Denizli. After testifying before a prosecutor on May 5 at the Denizli Courthouse, Öner was referred to court for detention on the charge of “membership in a terrorist group.” A Criminal Judgeship of Peace ruled to jail Öner pending trial.
Reports said accusations against Öner were based on news stories he penned for Dihaber that were found on his computer, and a complaint filed about the journalist.
Other freedom of expression cases of the past week
An Istanbul court on May 10 jailed one more Boğaziçi University student pending trial on the charge of “conducting propaganda for a terrorist organization.” The student was sent to the Silivri Prison. The latest development brought the number of Boğaziçi students jailed for taking part in an anti-war protest on campus to 14.
On May 10, three Istanbul courts heard the cases of four academics indicted for “conducting propaganda for a terrorist organization” for signing a 2016 declaration by the Academics for Peace initiative. The Appearing before the 37th High Criminal Court of Istanbul for the first hearing of his trial, Dr. Bülent Eken rejected the accusations and requested his acquittal. The court postponed the trial to October 4. The 27th High Criminal Court adjourned Assistant Professor Murat Koyuncu’s trial to October 16 because Koyuncu was abroad. Assistant Professor Çağla Diner and Professor Neşe Yıldıran appeared before the 35th High Criminal Court for the second hearings of their trials, which the court adjourned until September 11 and October 2, respectively.
A new indictment issued by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor accuses 11 opposition politicians of “conducting propaganda for a terrorist organization” and “openly inciting the public to hatred and animosity” for their public statements critical of Turkey’s military operation on Syria’s Afrin. Professor Onur Hamzaoğlu, the co-spokesperson of the People’s Democratic Congress (HDK), Serpil Kemalbay, the former co-chairperson of the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) and Musa Piroğlu, the chairman of the Revolutionary Party are among the politicians named as suspects in the indictment, which seeks up to 8 years in prison for each. Some books found in Hamzaoğlu’s apartment are held as evidence against him in the indictment.
Upcoming journalist trials this month
Following is a brief overview of some of the major ongoing journalist trials in Turkey, selected from a comprehensive list compiled by P24. For further information on upcoming journalist trials in Turkey, visit this regularly updated webpage.
Cumhuriyet reporter Ahmet Şık will appear before the 17th Criminal Court of First Instance on May 22 for the third hearing of a case in which he is indicted for “openly denigrating the Republic of Turkey, its judicial organs and its military and police,” facing a prison sentence between 6 months and 2 years.
Imprisoned journalist Nazlı Ilıcak will appeare before the 26th High Criminal Court of Istanbul on May 23 for the second hearing of a trial in which she is facing life imprisonment on “espionage” charges on account of a newspaper column she wrote in 2015.
Also on May 23, Erdoğan Alayumat and Nuri Akman, two reporters for the shuttered Dihaber news agency, are set to appear before the 2nd High Criminal court of Hatay for the third hearing of their trial in which both face up to 45 years in prison on “espionage” and “membership in a terrorist organization” charges. Alayumat has been in detention on remand since July 2017 as part of this case.
P24 updates its list of jailed journalists and media workers
P24 has updated its list of jailed journalists and media workers, a list compiled from open sources using information available to the general public.
Following Ali Bulaç, Mehmet Özdemir and İshak Karakaş’s release and the imprisonment of Kemal Sancılı, Reyhan Çapan and Gökhan Öner, during the past seven days, there are at least 174 journalists and media workers either in pretrial detention or serving prison sentences in Turkey’s prisons as of May 11, 2018.
The full list can be accessed here.
1 Abdulkadir Turay, DİHA reporter
2 Abdullah Kaya, DİHA
3 Abdullah Kılıç, Habertürk
4 Abdullah Özyurt, Zaman reporter
5 Abdulvahap İş, freelance journalist
6 Adil Demirci, ETHA reporter
7 Ahmet Altan
8 Ahmet Feyzullah Özyurt
9 Ahmet Memiş, Haberdar news website
10 Ahmet Metin Sekizkardeş, Zaman
11 Ahmet Turan Alkan, Zaman
12 Ahmet Yavaş, TRT (Erzurum)
13 Ali Ahmet Böken, TRT News coordinator
14 Ali Akkuş, Zaman
15 Ali Aşikar, Azadiya Welat
16 Ali Babür Boysal, Zaman page designer
17 Ali Sönmez Kayar, ETHA reporter
18 Ali Ünal, Zaman columnist
19 Ali Yüce, TRT Radio broadcasts chief
20 Arafat Dayan, Demokratik Ulus
21 Aslı Ceren Aslan, Özgür Gelecek
22 Ayşe Nazlı Ilıcak
23 Ayşenur Parıldak, Zaman, Haberdar
24 Aytekin Gezici, journalist/writer
25 Aziz İstegün, Diyarbakır Zaman representative
26 Barış Ceyhan, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi employee
27 Bayram Kaya, Zaman reporter
28 Behram Kılıç
29 Beytullah Özdemir, Zaman Düzce bureau chief
30 Burçin Dokgöz, former Zaman and Çorum reporter
31 Cemal Azmi Kalyoncu, Journalists and Writers’ Foundation
32 Cemal Tunç, Gün Matbaacılık employee
33 Ceren Taşkın, Hatay'ın Sesi
34 Cuma Ulus, Millet newspaper’s publications coordinator
35 Cumali Öz, Gün Matbaacılık employee
36 Cüneyt Seza Özkan, Samanyolu TV
37 Çetin Kurşun, Azadiya Welat
38 Emin Demir, freelancer
39 Emre Soncan, Zaman defense reporter
40 Ercan Gün, Fox TV
41 Erdal Süsem, Eylül magazine editor
42 Erdal Şen, former Meydan managing editor
43 Erdoğan Alayumat, Dihaber reporter
44 Erdoğan Zamur, Gün Matbaacılık employee
45 Erol Yüksel, TRT News Department vice president
46 Erol Zavar, Odak magazine owner and newsroom director
47 Fahrettin Kılıç, Özgür Toplum
48 Faruk Akkan, Cihan news agency
49 Ferhat Çiftçi, Azadiya Welat Gaziantep bureau chief
50 Ferhat Parlak, Silvan Mücadele newspaper owner
51 Fevzi Yazıcı, Zaman chief designer
52 Gökçe Fırat Çulhaoğlu, Türksolu columnist
53 Gökhan Öner, former Dihaber reporter
54 Gurbet Çakar, Hevi women’s magazine
55 Gültekin Avcı
56 Habip Güler, Zaman reporter
57 Hakan Aksel, TRT producer-director
58 Hakan Ergün, Azadiya Welat and Özgür Gündem distributor
59 Hakan Taşdelen
60 Halil İbrahim Mert, TRT (Erzurum)
61 Hamit Dilbahar, Azadiya Welat columnist
62 Hamza Günerigök, TRT
63 Hanım Büşra Erdal, Zaman reporter and columnist
64 Hasan Duman, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi distributor
65 Hatice Duman, Atılım newspaper owner and managing editor
66 Havva Cuştan, ETHA reporter
67 Haydar Ergül, Demokratik Modernite editor
68 Hicran Ürün, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi editor
69 Hidayet Karaca, Samanyolu Media Group president
70 Hüseyin Aydın, Cihan reporter
71 İbrahim Kareyeğen, responsible editor for Zaman
72 İdris Okur, Cihan New Agency Çorum reporter
73 İdris Sayılgan, DİHA
74 İdris Yılmaz
75 İhsan Sinmiş, Gün Matbaacılık employee
76 İhsan Yaşar, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi owner
77 İrfan Karaca, Gün Matbaacılık employee
78 İshak Yasul, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi responsible managing editor
79 İsmail Çoban, former Azadiya Welat managing editor
80 İsmail Ersan, Anatolia news agency
81 İsminaz Temel, ETHA editor
82 Kamuran Sunbat, former DİHA Çukurova reporter
83 Kasım Zengin, owner of Gün Matbaacılık
84 Kazım Göçer, Gün Matbaacılık employee
85 Kemal Daşdöğen, Gün Matbaacılık employee
86 Kemal Demir, TV 10
87 Kemal Özer, Evrensel
88 Kemal Sancılı, Özgür Gündem copyrights holder
89 Kenan Karavil, Radyo Dünya editor-in-chief
90 Kubilay Çelik, Antropolog magazine responsible managing editor
91 Mahmut Abay, Gün Matbaacılık employee
92 Mehmet Ali Ay
93 Mehmet Ali Çelebi, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi editor
94 Mehmet Altan
95 Mehmet Baransu, Taraf columnist/reporter
96 Mehmet Dursun
97 Mehmet Emin Sümeli, Gün Matbaacılık employee
98 Mehmet Güleş, DİHA
99 Mehmet Gündem
100 Mehmet Kadir Özkara, Gün Matbaacılık employee
101 Mehmet Kuru, Zaman Eskişehir reporter
102 Mehmet Sıddık damar, DİHA
103 Meltem Oktay, DİHA reporter
104 Mikail Barut, Özgür Halk former editor
105 Miktat Algül, Mezitli FM broadcast coordinator
106 Mizgin Çay, Radyo Karacadağ
107 Muhammed Sait Kuloğlu, owner of Subuhaber.com
108 Muhammet Özkan, Gün Matbaacılık employee
109 Muhsin Pilgir, Zaman and Cihan news agency
110 Murat Çapan, Nokta
111 Murat Dağdeviren, Demokrat Gebze owner
112 Musa Kaya, Gün Matbaacılık employee
113 Mustafa Erkan Acar, Bugün news editor
114 Mustafa Gök, Ankara bureau chief for Ekmek ve Adalet magazine
115 Mustafa Göktaş, Özgür Gündem Şanlıurfa reporter
116 Mustafa Ünal, Zaman
117 Mutlu Çölgeçen, Millet, newsroom coordinator
118 Mutlu Özay, Cihan reporter
119 Mümtazer Türköne, Zaman columnist
120 Mürsel Demir, Gün Matbaacılık employee
121 Nadir Yücel, Çorum Yıldız local newspaper editor-in-chief
122 Necat Hizarcı, Gün Matbaacılık employee
123 Nedim Türfent, DİHA
124 Nizamettin İzgi, Batman newspaper owner
125 Nuh Gönültaş, Bugün columnist
126 Nuri Durna, TRT
127 Nuri Yeşil, Azadiya Welat Dersim bureau chief
128 Nurullah Kaya, Gaziantep Zaman representative
129 Oğuz Usluer, Habertürk former broadcasts coordinator
130 Osman Yakut, Zaman Antalya
131 Ömer Oruç, Cihan newspaper
132 Özcan Keser, TRT reporter
133 Özgür Bozkurt, Gün Matbaacılık employee
134 Pınar Gayıp, ETHA reporter
135 Pınar Tarlak, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi employee
136 Polat Arslan, Gün Matbaacılık employee
137 Reyhan Çapan, Özgür Gündem managing editor
138 Reyhan Hacıoğlu, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi editor
139 Sadettin Demirtaş, Gün Matbaacılık employee
140 Sadık Demir, Radyo Karacadağ
141 Sait Gürkan Tuzlu, Cihan reporter
142 Salih Erbekler, Radyo Karacadağ
143 Sami Tunca, Mücadele Birliği magazine managing editor
144 Seda Taşkın, Mezopotamya News Agency reporter
145 Semiha Mete, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi reporter/distributor
146 Semiha Şahin, ETHA editor
147 Serhat Şeftali, Zaman regional bureau chief for the Med region
148 Serkan Aydemir, Bitlis Aktüel reporter
149 Serpil Ünal, Mücadele Birliği reporter
150 Sertan Önal, Halkın Günlüğü reporter
151 Seyid Kılıç, TRT News
152 Seyithan Akyüz, Azadiya Welat Adana bureau chief
153 Songül Yücel, Önsöz editor in chief
154 Süleyman Acar, Mücadele Birliği editor in chief
155 Süleyman Güneş, Gün Matbaacılık employee
156 Şahabettin Demir, DİHA reporter
157 Şeref Yılmaz, Irmak TV
158 Şerife Oruç, DİHA reporter
159 Togay Okay, Özgür Gelecek
160 Turgut Usul, TRT reporter
161 Ufuk Şanlı, former Vatan columnist
162 Uğur Selman Kelekçiler, Gün Matbaacılık employee
163 Ünal Tanık, Rota Haber editor-in-chief
164 Vahit Yazgan, İzmir Zaman bureau chief
165 Veli Büyükşahin, TV10 executive
166 Veli Haydar Güleç, TV10 executive
167 Yakup Çetin, Zaman reporter
168 Yakup Şimşek, Zaman, marketing director
169 Yalçın Güler, TRT (Erzurum)
170 Yener Dönmez, Habervaktim news website
171 Yetkin Yıldız, Aktif Haber website editor
172 Yılmaz Kahraman, Özgür Halk editor
173 Zehra Doğan, Jinha
174 Ziya Ataman, DİHA reporter
Share
COPYRIGHT © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
