Journalists in State of Emergency – 106

 
 
German journalist and translator Meşale Tolu, on trial on “terrorism charges” along with 17 other co-defendants, was released from prison at the end of the second hearing of her case held on 18 December.
 
Tolu, an employee of the Etkin News Agency (ETHA), has been imprisoned since May. The Istanbul 29th High Criminal Court, which oversees the trial, ruled to release all six imprisoned defendants in the case. The released defendants, in addition to Tolu, are Birol Kurt, Deniz Havuç, Emre Altunkaya, Fırat Çağla and Serkan Okatan. The court decided to adjourn the trial until 26 April 2018.
 
With Tolu no longer behind bars, the number of journalists in prison in Turkey decreased to 151. Detailed list can be accessed here.
 
MIT trucks case: Prosecutor seeks up to 15 years in jail for defendants
 
On December 20, the prosecutor in the case of the Syria-bound National Intelligence Agency (MIT) trucks case demanded up to 15 years in jail for the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy Enis Berberoğlu, Cumhuriyet former Editor-in-Chief Can Dündar and the daily’s Ankara representative, Erdem Gül.
 
The trucks were intercepted by gendarmerie units in two different occasions in 2014 near the Turkish-Syrian border for allegedly carrying arms to Syria. Berberoğlu, Dündar and Gül are on trial in relation to publication of the images about the MIT trucks. During the second hearing of the trial, held at the Istanbul 14th High Criminal Court, the prosecutor demanded prison terms of up to 15 years for Dündar, Gül and Berberoğlu, for “aiding a terrorist organization without being members,” for they published images of the trucks.
 
In its interim ruling, the court ordered separation of the file of two other defendants in the case — Aydınlık editor-in-chief Mustafa İlker Yücel and Aydınlık’s former head news editor Orhan Ceyhun Bozkurt — who are both charged with “leaking state secrets.”
 
The next hearing of the case will be held on January 24, 2018.

Top court to review Şahin Alpay’s application

The Constitutional Court is set to review an application filed on behalf of imprisoned journalist Şahin Alpay on Tuesday, December 26.

The Court’s First Section took up another imprisoned journalist’s application, that of Mehmet Altan, on December 5 and referred it to the Plenary.

Alpay, a 73-year-old former columnist for the shuttered Zaman daily who has been in prison on coup charges since July 2016, has been battling a number of health problems. 

Two newspapers closed down
 
Two local newspapers based in the Western province of Isparta was closed down by a statutory decree issued under the State of Emergency. The decree no. 695, issued in the early hours of December 24, orders the closure of Akdeniz and Çınaraltı newspapers.
 
Journalist Mehmet Ali Ertaş given prison term

On December 22, Mezopotamya Agency editor Mehmet Ali Ertaş was sentenced to three years and one month in jail for “spreading propaganda for a terrorist organization” for his social media posts about a bomb attack in Ankara on October 10, 2016, which killed more than 100 demonstrators going for a peace rally.
 
The Diyarbakır 9th Criminal Court, which oversaw the trial, deferred the sentence.
 
Journalist Seda Taşkın detained

On December 20, Mezopotamya Agency reporter Seda Taşkın was detained in the eastern province of Muş, where she was reportedly on a news assignment.
 
Taşkın, who was taken into police custody because of a “credible tip-off,” was questioned over her social media posts and some of her stories. She was released by the court she was referred to after questioning by the police on December 23.
 
Former DIHA executives on trial

Former Executive Board Chairman of the shuttered Dicle News Agency (DIHA) Zekeriya Güzüpek and the agency’s responsible managing editor, Dicle Müftüoğlu, are facing a possible prison term of up to 15 years on the charge of “membership of a terrorist organization” in a new trial.
 
The indictment against Güzüpek and Müftüoğlu was prepared by the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and accepted by the Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court. The first hearing in the trial will be held on 22 March 2018.
 
Journalist Sertaç Kayar briefly detained
 
On December 19, journalist Sertaç Kayar was arrested in a police raid on his home in Diyarbakır. Kayar was released later in the same day, following his questioning. He said he was asked questions about his journalistic activities.

Erdoğan’s lawyers seek ban on access to Carlos Latuff cartoons
 
Well-known Brazilian cartoonist Carlos Latuff announced on his Twitter account on December 18 that lawyers of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan applied to a Turkish court, demanding a ban on access to dozens of web pages, including 11 Twitter pages containing his cartoons.
 
FOX TV anchorman receives death threat
 
On December 19, FOX TV anchorman Fatih Portakal announced that he received a death threat via a text message sent to his mobile phone. In the message published by Portakal, the sender vows to kill Portakal and the owner of FOX TV for “employing a traitor.”
 
The person who sent the message was later arrested but released after his questioning by the prosecutor. 

List of journalists in jail
 
1          Abdulkadir Turay, DİHA reporter
2          Abdullah Kılıç, Habertürk
3          Abdullah Özyurt, Zaman reporter
4          Abdulvahap İş (Freelance journalist)
5          Ahmet Altan
6          Ahmet Feyzullah Özyurt
7          Ahmet Memiş, Gazeteci, Haberdar news website
8          Ahmet Metin Sekizkardeş, Zaman journalist
9          Ahmet Şık, Cumhuriyet reporter
10        Ahmet Turan Alkan, Zaman
11        Ahmet Yavaş, TRT (Erzurum)
12        Akın Atalay, Pres. of Cumhuriyet Foundation Executive Board
13        Alaattin Güner, Cihan media director
14        Ali Ahmet Böken, TRT News coordinator
15        Ali Aşikar – Azadiya Welat
16        Ali Babür Boysal, Zaman page designer
17        Ali Bulaç, Eski Zaman columnist
18        Ali Ünal, Zaman columnist
19        Ali Yüce, TRT Radio broadcasts chief
20        Arafat Dayan, Demokratik Ulus
21        Aslı Ceren Aslan, Özgür Gelecek
22        Ayhan Demir, Çaldıran News Agency
23        Ayşe Nazlı Ilıcak
24        Ayşenur Parıldak, Zaman, Haberdar
25        Aytekin Gezici, journalist/writer
26        Aziz İstegün, Diyarbakır Zaman representative
27        Bayram Kaya, Zaman reporter
28        Behram Kılıç
29        Beytullah Özdemir, Zaman Düzce bureau chief
30        Burak Ekici, Birgün
31        Burçin Dokgöz, former Zaman and Çorum reporter
32        Cemal Azmi Kalyoncu, Journalists and Writers’ Foundation
33        Ceren Taşkın, Hatay'ın Sesi
34        Cuma Kaya, Zaman
35        Cuma Ulus, Millet newspaper’s publications coordinator
36        Cüneyt Seza Özkan, Samanyolu TV
37        Çağdaş Erdoğan, Photojournalist
38        Deniz Yücel, Die Welt
39        Emin Demir, Freelancer
40        Emre Soncan, Zaman defense reporter
41        Ercan Gün, Fox TV
42        Erdal Süsem, Eylül magazine editor
43        Erdal Şen, former Meydan managing editor
44        Erdoğan Alayamut, Dihaber reporter
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        Fevzi Yazıcı
51        Gökçe Fırat Çulhaoğlu, Türksolu columnist
52        Gurbet Çakar, Hevi women’s magazine
53        Gültekin Avcı
54        Habip Güler, Zaman reporter
55        Hakan Aksel, TRT producer-director
56        Hakan Ergün, Azadiya Welat and Özgür Gündem distributor
57        Hakan Taşdelen
58        Halil İbrahim Mert, TRT (Erzurum)
59        Hamit Dilbahar, Azadiya Welat columnist
60        Hamza Günerigök, TRT
61        Hanım Büşra Erdal, Zaman reporter and columnist
62        Hasan Duman, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi distributor
63        Hatice Duman, Atılım newspaper’s owner and managing editor
64        Havva Cuştan, ETHA reporter
65        Hayati Yıldız, Azadiya Welat
66        Hidayet Karaca, Samanyolu Media Group President
67        Hüseyin Aydın, Cihan reporter
68        Hüseyin Turan, Zaman columnist
69        İbrahim Balta, Zaman business editor
70        İbrahim Kareyeğen, responsible editor for Zaman
71        İdris Okur, Cihan New Agency Çorum reporter
72        İdris Sayılgan, DİHA
73        İsmail Avcı, Zaman
74        İsmail Efe, local press advisor in İzmir
75        İsmail Ersan, Anatolia news agency
76        İsminaz Temel, ETHA editor
77        Kamuran Sunbat, DİHA Çukurova reporter (formerly)
78        Kemal Demir, TV 10
79        Kemal Özer, Evrensel
80        Kenan Karavil, Radyo Dünya editor-in-chief
81        Mehmet Ali Ay
82        Mehmet Altan
83        Mehmet Baransu, Taraf columnist/reporter
84        Mehmet Dener, Şanlıurfa.com editor-in-chief
85        Mehmet Güleş, DİHA
86        Mehmet Gündem
87        Mehmet Kuru, Zaman Eskişehir reporter
88        Mehmet Özdemir, Zaman columnist
89        Meltem Oktay, DİHA reporter
90        Mikail Barut, Özgür Halk former editor
91        Miktat Algül, Mezitli FM General Publications Coordinator
92        Mizgin Çay – Radyo Karacadağ
93        Muhammet Taşçılar, Şanlıurfa.com editor-in-chief
94        Muhsin Pilgir, Zaman and Cihan news agency
95        Murat Avcıoğlu, Zaman
96        Murat Çapan,
97        Murat Dağdeviren (Demokrat Gebze owner)
98        Murat Sabuncu, Editor-in- Chief
99        Mustafa Erkan Acar, Bugün news editor,
100      Mustafa Gök, Ankara bureau chief for Ekmek ve Adalet magazine
101      Mustafa Ünal, Zaman
102      Mutlu Çölgeçen, Millet, newsroom coordinator
103      Mutlu Özay, Cihan reporter
104      Mümtazer Türköne, Zaman columnist
105      Nadir Yücel, Çorum Yıldız (local) Editor-in-Chief
106      Nedim Türfent,DİHA
107      Nizamettin İzgi (Batman Newspaper’s owner)
108      Nuh Gönültaş
109      Nur Ener, Yeni Asya
110      Nuri Durna, TRT
111      Nuri Yeşil, Azadiya Welat Dersim bureau chief
112      Nurullah Kaya, G.antep Zaman representative
113      Oğuz Usluer, Habertürk former broadcasts coordinator
114      Osman Yakut, Zaman Antalya
115      Ömer Faruk Aydemir, İHA editor
116      Ömer Oruç, Cihan newspaper
117      Özcan Keser (TRT reporter)
118      Özkan Erdoğan, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi
119      Rabia Özkaya, Özgür Halk
120      Ramazan Alkan, Yeni Akit reporter
121      Resul Cengiz, Denizli reporter with Zaman
122      Sadık Demir – Radyo Karacadağ
123      Sait Gürka Tuzlu, Cihan reporter
124      Salih Erbekler – Radyo Karacadağ
125      Sami Tunca, Mücadele Birliği magazine Managing Editor
126      Semiha Mete, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi reporter and distributor
127      Serhat Şeftali, Zaman regional bureau chief for the Med region
128      Serkan Aydemir, Bitlis Aktüel reporter
129      Serkan Erdoğan, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi
130      Seyid Kılıç, TRT News
131      Seyithan Akyüz, Azadiya Welat Adana bureau chief
132      Şahabettin Demir, DİHA reporter
133      Şahin Alpay, Zaman columnist
134      Şeref Yılmaz, Irmak TV
135      Şerife Oruç, DİHA reporter
136      Tahsin Kürklü, Zaman – head of Logistics Department
137      Togay Okay, Özgür Gelecek
138      Tuncer Çetinkaya, Zaman Antalya
139      Ufuk Şanlı, former Vatan columnist
140      Ünal Tanık, Rota Haber editor-in-chief
141      Vahit Yazgan, İzmir Zaman bureau chief
142      Yakup Çetin, Zaman reporter
143      Yakup Şimşek, Zaman, marketing director
144      Yalçın Güler, TRT (Erzurum)
145      Yasir Kaya, Fenerbahçe TV, formerly
146      Yener Dönmez, Habervaktim news website
147      Yetkin Yıldız, Aktif Haber website editor
148      Yılmaz Kahraman, Özgür Halk editor
149      Zafer Özsoy
150      Zehra Doğan, Jinha
151      Ziya Ataman, DİHA reporter