Journalists in State of Emergency – 82

  
On August 9, Nedim Türfent, a reporter for the shuttered pro-Kurdish Dicle News Agency (DİHA) was tried by the Hakkari 2nd High Criminal Court in the second hearing of a trial where he stands accused of “membership in a terrorist organization” and “terror propaganda.”
 
In the earlier hearing on June 14, 2017, 12 out of 13 witnesses who had testified against the journalist as per the indictment claimed their testimony was extracted under torture.
 
Türfent has been imprisoned for 15 months.
 
The hearing, which was due to start at 2 p.m., began after a nearly six-hour delay. Witness D.B., who testified via teleconferencing from Van province, said he didn’t know Türfent and he hadn’t heard of his name previously. He said his testimony against the journalist was taken under pressure while he was in detention.
 
Türfent also attended the session via teleconferencing from prison,  however, he wasn’t able to ask questions to the witness due to connection issues.
 
Türfent’s lawyer Harika Karataş asked whether an attorney representing witness D.B. — who is a minor – was present while he submitted testimony against her client. It emerged that the witness had testified in the absence of a lawyer.
 
After this episode, a quarrel took place between the presiding judge and Karataş. The lawyer said the court should question the prosecution regarding the witness who admitted to having submitted false testimony and also demanded to know the reason of the six-hour delay to start the session. Following a brief row, the lawyers refused to make defense statements and the session was adjourned until Nov. 1, 2017 about half an hour after it started.
 
Lawyer Karataş told P24 after the session that the interim ruling that should have been decided inside the courtroom had been already drafted even before the hearing began. She said the court decided to continue Türfent’s imprisoned status without going through the proceedings of the hearing.
 
She also said that the case would have likely been dropped if the court had questioned the prosecutor about the witness who withdrew his previous  testimony against Türfent.
 
She said planning to start the session at 2 p.m. meant that it would be impossible to hear testimony from the remaining 10 witnesses, adding that there had been a six-hour delay in addition to an already late starting schedule.
“What we saw today in court has shown that the court doesn’t want witness statements that these people testified under torture to go down on court records.”
 
Turkish journalist exiled in Sweden arrested in Spain on Turkey’s request
 
Hamza Yalçın, a Turkish journalist residing in Sweden since 1984 and the chief columnist of the monthly Odak magazine, was arrested in Barcelona, Spain on August 4.
 
Yalçın was holidaying in Spain when passport police detained him on August 3 was arrested the next day on the grounds that he was included on an Interpol Red Notice list, issued by Turkey.
 
State-owned and government aligned Anatolia news agency reported that in April, a court case had been launched against the journalist for insulting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in an article published in Odak in 2016. Yalçın also faces separate charges for “propaganda on behalf of a terrorist organization” based on different articles, also published by Odak.
 
BBC Turkish reported that the Swedish Government intervened in the process regarding Yalçın. The Swedish Foreign Ministry was making efforts to learn more details about the situation, and that they have hired a lawyer for the journalist. Officials were making efforts to ensure that diplomats can visit Yalçın in prison, reports said.
 
Harlem Desir, a representative for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) stated that OSCE is following the situation closely.
 
 
Gaziantep journalist’s lawyer files objection to arrest ruling
 
A Gaziantep court on August 8 turned down an appeal for the release of local journalist Murat Güreş, who was arrested for violating a confidentiality order by publishing testimony from a businessman who is incarcerated as part of a probe into the Fethullah Gülen network.
 
The journalist was formally arrested on August 2 by court order along with journalist Furkan Gökşen, who also published the same document. The two journalists are being held in Gaziantep Prison. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) tweeted that in the objection, Güreş’s lawyer argued his client should be a witness in the investigation and not a defendant.
 
 
Detention period for Özgürlükçü Demokrasi distributors extended
 
The custody period for Zinet Aşan and Cemile Çiftçi, who were detained in Mersin province on August 1 for distributing copies of the pro-Kurdish newspapers Özgürlükçü Demokrasi and Rojeva Medya, have still not been interrogated by prosecutors.
 
On August 8, authorities said the detention period for the two Özgürlükçü Demokrasi employees had been extended.
 
Aşan and Çiftçi are currently being held at a detention center inside the Mersin Police Department and will likely not appear before a prosecutor or a court for another week.
 
 
Gazete Şûjin reporter held by police
 
Gazate Şujin reporter Ceren Karlıdağ was taken into police custody on August 9 , while reporting on the People’s Democratic Party’s (HDP) Justice and Conscience Watch protest. The journalist was detained while entering the Musa Anter Park, where the protest was held. Police said there was a search warrant out for Karlıdağ.
 
The journalist was released after testifying to police.
 
 
Doğan Media journalists testify in coup trial
 
Several journalists employed by the Doğan Media group on August 8 testified in the trial where soldiers who raided the Doğan Media Center building during the July 15, 2016 coup attempt.
 
Hürriyet columnist and Hürriyet Daily News Editor-in-Chief Murat Yetkin, CNN Türk General Manager Erdoğan Aktaş, Kanal D Senior News Editor Süleman Sarılar and CNN Türk cameraman Ahmet Akpolat testified in the hearing heard at the Istanbul 27th High Criminal Court. The journalists shared their accounts of the raid that occurred on Doğan Media Center on the night of the coup attempt.
 
Sendika.org blocked for 59th time
 
The Information and Communication Technologies Authority(BTK) has blocked access to news website Sendika.org for the 59th time. The website has changed its domain name to sendika60.org from sendika59.org; an almost weekly occurrence known to most of the website’s followers.
 
On July 4, Sendika.org applied to be included in the Guinness World Book of records at the time when it was blocked for the 49th time, seeking the title “the most blocked website of the world.”
 
P24 updates lists of journalists
 
P24 has updated its list of imprisoned journalists after it was able to verify that former Aksiyon journalist Haşim Söylemez had been released. The number of journalists in prison has been updated as 163 as a result of this change.
           
 
Name, publication
1          Abdulkadir Turay, DİHA reporter
2          Abdullah Kılıç, Habertürk
3          Abdullah Özyurt, Zaman reporter
4          Murat Güreş, Gaziantep Güncel Editor-in-Chief
5          Furkan Gökşen, detailhaber.com editor-in-chief
6          Loup Bureau, freelancer
7          Abdulvahap İş (Freelance journalist)
8          Abdürrahim Ersöz, Antalya
9          Ahmet Altan
10       Ahmet Memiş, Gazeteci, Haberdar news website
11       Ahmet Metin Sekizkardeş, Zaman journalist
12       Ahmet Şık, Cumhuriyet reporter
13       Ahmet Turan Alkan, Zaman
14       Ahmet Yavaş, TRT (Erzurum)
15       Akın Atalay, Pres. of Cumhuriyet Foundation Executive Board
16       Alaattin Güner, Cihan media director
17       Ali Ahmet Böken, TRT News coordinator
18       Ali Aşikar – Azadiya Welat
19       Ali Babür Boysal, Zaman page designer
20       Ali Bulaç, Eski Zaman columnist
21       Ali Konar, Azadiya Welat bureau chief
22       Ali Ünal, Zaman columnist
23       Ali Yüce, TRT Radio broadcasts chief
24       Arafat Dayan, Demokratik Ulus
25       Aslı Ceren Aslan, Özgür Gelecek
26       Atilla Taş, Meydan columnist
27       Ayhan Demir, Çaldıran News Agency
28       Ayşe Nazlı Ilıcak
29       Ayşenur Parıldak, Zaman, Haberdar
30       Aytekin Gezici, journalist/writer
31       Aziz İstegün, Diyarbakır Zaman representative
32       Bayram Kaya, Zaman reporter
33       Beytullah Özdemir, Zaman Düzce bureau chief
34       Burçin Dokgöz, former Zaman and Çorum reporter
35       Bünyamin Köseli, Aksiyon magazine reporter
36       Cebrail Parıltı, Anadolu Ajansı (AA) Derik reporter
37       Cemal Azmi Kalyoncu, Journalists and Writers’ Foundation
38       Ceren Taşkın, Hatay'ın Sesi
39       Cihan Acar, Bugün reporter
40       Cuma Kaya, Zaman
41       Cuma Ulus, Millet newspaper’s publications coordinator
42       Deniz Yücel, Die Welt
43       Emin Demir, Freelancer
44       Emre Soncan, Zaman defense reporter
45       Ercan Gün, Fox TV
46       Erdal Süsem, Eylül magazine editor
47       Erdal Şen, former Meydan managing editor
48       Erdoğan Alayamut, Dihaber reporter
49       Erol Yüksel (TRT News Department vice president))
50       Erol Zavar, Odak magazine, owner and newsroom director
51       Fahrettin Kılıç, Özgür Toplum
52       Faruk Akkan, Cihan news agency
53       Ferhat Çiftçi, Azadiya Welat Gaziantep bureau chief
54       Fevzi Yazıcı
55       Gökçe Fırat Çulhaoğlu, Türksolu columnist
56       Gökmen Ulu, Sözcü
57       Gurbet Çakar, Hevi women’s magazine
58       Gültekin Avcı
59       Habip Güler, Zaman reporter
60       Hakan Aksel, TRT producer-director
61       Hakan Ergün, Azadiya Welat and Özgür Gündem distributor
62       Hakan Taşdelen
63       Halil İbrahim Mert, TRT (Erzurum)
64       Hamit Dilbahar, Azadiya Welat columnist
65       Hamza Günerigök, TRT
66       Hanım Büşra Erdal, Zaman reporter and columnist
67       Hasan Duman, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi distributor
68       Hatice Duman, Atılım newspaper’s owner and managing editor
69       Hayati Yıldız, Azadiya Welat
70       Hidayet Karaca, Samanyolu Media Group President
71       Hülya Karakaya, Özgür Halk Managing Editor
72       Hüseyin Aydın, Cihan reporter
73       Hüseyin Turan, Zaman columnist
74       İbrahim Balta, Zaman business editor
75       İbrahim Kareyeğen, responsible editor for Zaman
76       İdris Okur, Cihan New Agency Çorum reporter
77       İdris Sayılgan, DİHA
78       İlker İlkan, Azadiya Welat
79       İnan Kızılkaya, Özgür Gündem Newsroom Editor
80       İsmail Avcı, Zaman
81       İsmail Efe, local press advisor in İzmir
82       Kadri Gürsel, Editorial Advisor
83       Kamuran Sunbat, DİHA Çukurova reporter (formerly)
84       Kemal Sancılı, Özgür Gündem copyrights holder
85       Kenan Karavil, Radyo Dünya editor-in-chief
86       Lokman Erdoğan, Çorum Manşet, owner
87       Mahir Kanaat, BirGün, head of accountingn
88       Mediha Olgun, Sözcü
89       Mehmet Altan
90       Mehmet Baransu, Taraf columnist/reporter
91       Mehmet Çakmakçı, Medyascope.tv reporter
92       Mehmet Dener, Şanlıurfa.com editor-in-chief
93       Mehmet Güleş, DİHA
94       Mehmet Kuru, Zaman Eskişehir reporter
95       Mehmet Özdemir, Zaman columnist
96       Meltem Oktay, DİHA reporter
97       Meşale Tolu, ETHA translater
98       Mikail Barut, Özgür Halk former editor
99       Miktat Algül, Mezitli FM General Publications Coordinator
100     Mizgin Çay – Radyo Karacadağ
101     Muhammet Taşçılar, Şanlıurfa.com editor-in-chief
102     Murat Aksoy,former Yeni Şafak columnist
103     Murat Avcıoğlu, Zaman
104     Murat Çapan,
105     Murat Dağdeviren (Demokrat Gebze owner)
106     Murat Sabuncu, Editor-in- Chief
107     Mustafa Erkan Acar, Bugün news editor,
108     Mustafa Gök, Ankara bureau chief for Ekmek ve Adalet magazine
109     Mustafa Ünal, Zaman
110     Mutlu Çölgeçen, Millet, newsroom coordinator
111     Mümtazer Türköne, Zaman columnist
112     Nadir Yücel, Çorum Yıldız (local) Editor-in-Chief
113     Nedim Türfent,DİHA
114     Nizamettin İzgi (Batman Newspaper’s owner)
115     Nur Ener, Yeni Asya
116     Nuri Durna, TRT
117     Nuri Yeşil, Azadiya Welat Dersim bureau chief
118     Nurullah Kaya, G.antep Zaman representative
119     Oğuz Usluer, Habertürk former broadcasts coordinator
120     Osman Yakut, Zaman Antalya
121     Ömer Çelik, DİHA news manager
122     Ömer Oruç, Cihan newspaper
123     Ömer Özdemir, Antalya eski Zaman muhabiri
124     Özcan Keser (TRT reporter)
125     Özkan Erdoğan, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi
126     Rabia Özkaya, Özgür Halk
127     Ramazan Alkan, Yeni Akit reporter
128     Resul Cengiz, Denizli reporter with Zaman
129     Sadık Demir – Radyo Karacadağ
130     Salih Erbekler – Radyo Karacadağ
131     Sami Tunca, Mücadele Birliği magazine Managing Editor
132     Selman Keleş, DİHA
133     Serhat Şeftali, Zaman regional bureau chief for the Med region
134     Serkan Aydemir, Bitlis Aktüel reporter
135     Serkan Erdoğan, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi
136     Seyid Kılıç, TRT News
137     Seyithan Akyüz, Azadiya Welat Adana bureau chief
138     Sezgin Kartal, Sosyalist Dayanımşa magazine
139     Şahabettin Demir, DİHA reporter
140     Şahin Alpay, Zaman columnist
141     Şeref Yılmaz, Irmak TV
142     Şerife Oruç, DİHA reporter
143     Şirin Çoban, Azadiya Welat
144     Tahsin Kürklü, Zaman – head of Logistics Department
145     Togay Okay, Özgür Gelecek
146     Tunca Öğreten, former Diken editor
147     Tuncer Çetinkaya, Zaman Antalya
148     Ufuk Şanlı, former Vatan columnist
149     Ulaş Sezgin, ETHA reporter
150     Ünal Tanık, Rota Haber editor-in-chief
151     Vahit Yazgan, İzmir Zaman bureau chief
152     Vedat Beki, Sözcü 18
153     Vedat Demir, former Yarına Bakış writer
154     Yakup Çetin, Zaman reporter
155     Yakup Şimşek, Zaman, marketing director
156     Yalçın Güler, TRT (Erzurum)
157     Yener Dönmez, Habervaktim news website
158     Yetkin Yıldız, Aktif Haber website editor
159     Yılmaz Kahraman, Özgür Halk editor
160     Yusuf Karataş, Evrensel columnist
161     Zafer Özsoy
162     Zehra Doğan, Jinha
163     Ziya Ataman, DİHA reporter

Lists of all journalists in prison and the media institutions, associations and foundations closed down under the State of Emergency can be viewed here.