Journalists in State of Emergency – 130

 The head office of the pro-Kurdish Özgürlükçü Demokrasi newspaper in Istanbul’s Beyoğlu district and the printing facility where the newspaper is printed were raided by police in the early hours of March 28.
 
Media reports said nine employees of the newspaper and the printing company, including the newspaper’s owner İlhan Yaşar, were taken into custody during the midnight raids, which lasted until around 3 a.m.
 
During the day a total of 21 suspects that included employees of the newspaper and the printing company were taken into custody as part of an investigation launched into the paper by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office on allegations of ties with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
 
Accusations leveled against those in custody are “membership in an armed terrorist organization” and “conducting propaganda for a terrorist organization.” The report also said a Criminal Judgeship of Peace appointed a board of trustees to both the newspaper and the printing company upon request from the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.
 
At a press conference at the Human Rights Association (İHD) Istanbul branch on Wednesday, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi editors and representatives from press organizations said that they could only confirm that the newspaper’s publisher İlhan Yaşar and eight employees of the printing company, including owner Kasım Zengin, were in custody, but added that this number might go up because they were receiving unconfirmed reports from other provinces in Turkey concerning more arrests targeting the employees of the newspaper, including former employees.
 
The editors also explained that they were only verbally notified by an official claiming to be from the Turkish banking system watchdog Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF) that the government-run fund had appointed a board of trustees to the newspaper, and that no written notification was made.
 
The Journalists Union of Turkey (TGS) issued a statement concerning the raid on Özgürlükçü Demokrasi, in which it said that this was an attempt by the government to silence media outlets of which it cannot seize control by purchasing.
 
TGS President Gökhan Durmuş said this was an attempt to deny the public of its right of access to information.
 
Durmuş added: “With the [pro-government Demirören group’s] takeover of Doğan Media Group, monopolization in media has turned into the most fundamental problem we’re facing. […] The raid on Özgürlükçü Demokrasi and the attempt to seize the newspaper shows that the government is seeking to silence all critical parties in the run up to the 2019 elections. We need to continue struggling for a free media.”
 
Court refuses to rule on Mehmet Altan’s release
 
The Istanbul 26th High Criminal Court refused to rule on a request for imprisoned journalist Mehmet Altan’s release filed by his lawyers following the European Court of Human Rights’ March 20 judgment concerning his individual application. The trial court said the case against Altan is disposed.
 
A detailed report about the decision, issued on March 28, can be found here.
 
 
Ahmet Altan acquitted of “insulting Erdoğan”
 
Imprisoned novelist and journalist Ahmet Altan was acquitted on March 27 of insulting Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in a 2012 newspaper column in the retrial of a 2013 case, in which a court had ruled that Altan exceeded the limits of criticism and insulted the then-Prime Minister.
 
Altan gave his statement to the Istanbul Anadolu 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance via the courtroom video-conferencing system SEGBİS during the March 27 hearing, monitored by P24 in the courtroom. Altan’s lawyer Ergin Cinmen was present in the hearing, where Erdoğan’s lawyers did not attend.
 
Altan said during his address to the court that the Supreme Court of Appeals had set legal criteria for the “insult” offense. “The Supreme Court of Appeals held that as long as an article is not intended to denigrate [a person], it amounts to not insult, but severe criticism. I request that your court adheres to the Supreme Court of Appeals ruling,” Altan said.
 
At the end of the original case, Altan was handed down 11 months and 20 days in prison for insulting Erdoğan in his January 2012 column “Devlet Yardakçılığı ve Ahlak” (“State Complicity and Morality”), about the infamous Roboskî bombing in 2011 where 34 civilians were killed. The court had commuted the prison sentence to a fine of TL 7,000.
 
Altan’s lawyers had appealed that verdict at the Supreme Court of Appeals, which ruled in September 2017 that the elements of the “insult” offense were not present in the case file, overruling the trial court’s decision.
 
The case file was then sent to the Istanbul Anadolu 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance for retrial, which ruled on March 27 that the basic elements of the offense were not present, and acquitted Altan.
 
 
“Özgür Gündem solidarity” trial against Can Dündar adjourned
 
The seventh hearing of a trial against the former editor in chief of the Cumhuriyet daily Can Dündar on charges of “conducting propaganda for a terrorist organization” on grounds that he took part in a solidarity campaign with the shuttered pro-Kurdish daily Özgür Gündem was held on March 27.
 
The 22nd High Criminal Court of Istanbul adjourned the trial to September 4, 2018, awaiting response from German authorities concerning a letter issued prior to the latest hearing in which the court requested Dündar’s statement to be taken in Germany, for the arrest warrant against the journalist has not been executed.
 
 
Atalay’s lawyers file 2nd application before Constitutional Court
 
Lawyers of the Cumhuriyet newspaper submitted a second application to the Constitutional Court on March 26 on behalf of the newspaper’s imprisoned Executive Board Chairman Akın Atalay, requesting the Constitutional Court to review his application, pending before the top court for more than 15 months.
 
Atalay has been in detention on remand for more than 510 days in the Silivri Prison as part of the ongoing trial against 19 columnists and executives of the Cumhuriyet newspaper.
 
The petition calls attention to the recent European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and Constitutional Court rulings on Şahin Alpay and Mehmet Altan and requests the speedy adjudication of the application on behalf of Atalay, claiming that his detention is in violation of the law, the constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights.
 
The initial individual application on behalf of Atalay was submitted to the Constitutional Court on December 26, 2016, along with those filed on behalf of other executives and columnists of the paper. Among those applications, the top court has only rendered judgment on that of Turhan Günay, the editor of the newspaper’s book supplement, on January 11, 2018, in which it ruled that Günay’s right to personal liberty and security had been violated due to his unlawful detention on remand.
 
Alongside that of Atalay, individual applications on behalf of Murat Sabuncu, Güray Öz, Musa Kart, Kadri Gürsel, Hakan Karasinir, Önder Çelik, Bülent Utku and Mustafa Kemal Güngör are still pending before the Constitutional Court.
 
 
Former Fenerbahçe TV news manager released from prison
 
Yasir Kaya, a former news manager for Fenerbahçe TV who was arrested in August 2017 as part of an investigation into alleged ByLock users, was released from prison on March 24 pending the conclusion of his trial.
 
Appearing before the 32nd High Criminal Court of Istanbul for the latest hearing of his trial, Kaya and his lawyers requested his release on grounds of his child’s health issues while Kaya’s lawyers added that their client was not at flight risk.
 
Taking into account the time he spent in detention on remand and his child’s health condition, the court ruled to release Kaya pending trial with an overseas travel ban.
 
 
Journalist Duygu Erol released from custody on judicial control
 
Journalist Duygu Erol was released from custody on March 23, three days after she was arrested in Ankara on March 20.
 
Erol and 10 others who were detained as part of the same investigation, among whom were also executives from the People’s Democratic Party (HDP), were sent to the Ankara Courthouse on March 23.
 
Erol was among five suspects referred to court for arrest on “membership” and “propaganda” charges. Accusations included their social media posts and press conferences they participated in 2016 and 2017. A Criminal Judgeship of Peace ruled to release all five on judicial control terms.
 
 
Journalist faces investigation for posing in front of TOMA
 
Journalist Fuat Yaşar, a Diyarbakır-based reporter for the news website 1HaberVar, is facing criminal investigation for posing for a photograph in front of a TOMA vehicle — an armored water cannon truck used in riot control.
 
Yaşar gave his statement to the anti-terror police on March 22 as part of the investigation, which was launched following an anonymous complaint filed concerning the journalist’s social media posts. Based on the anonymous tip off, a public prosecutor opened an investigation, accusing Yaşar of “conducting propaganda for a terrorist organization.” The investigation file is said to include Yaşar’s previous reporting and social media posts concerning civilian casualties during the period of extensive curfews imposed on Turkey’s southeastern provinces.
 
 
Imprisoned ETHA editor, reporter to appear in court in July
 
İsminaz Temel, an editor for the Etkin news agency (ETHA), and her co-worker Havva Cuştan, a reporter for the same news agency, who have been in pretrial detention for more than 150 days, will appear before a court for the first hearing of the trial against them on July 16 and 17.
 
The news came after their long-awaited indictment was issued. The indictment, accepted by the Istanbul 27th High Criminal Court, accuses the journalists and 21 others arrested as part of the same investigation of “membership in a terrorist organization” and “conducting propaganda for a terrorist organization.”
 
Both journalists were arrested on October 19, 2017, during a sweeping operation alongside 21 other suspects that also included lawyers. Thirteen of the suspects including Temel and Cuştan have since been in detention on remand.
 
The indictment accuses Temel of having taken part in demonstrations, funerals and memorials that she attended for news coverage “on instruction from a terrorist organization.” Cuştan, who survived the deadly Suruç bombing of July 2015, is also accused of attending a number of demonstrations and events in 2014 and 2015 concerning enforced disappearances.
 
 
Journalist Cem Bahtiyar released from pretrial detention
 
Mete Cem Bahtiyar, a former reporter for the BirGün daily, who was arrested and jailed on February 7 in the Bandırma district of Turkey’s northwestern Balıkesir province, was released from pretrial detention on March 20.
 
In reviewing a recent petition filed by Bahtiyar’s lawyers requesting his release from the Bandırma Prison, the court ruled in favor of Bahtiyar and released the former journalist, who was arrested on “propaganda” charges on account of his social media posts and the news reports he penned for BirGün.
 
 
List of journalists in prison updated
 
P24 has updated its list of journalists in prison in Turkey, a list compiled from open sources, upon the recent release of journalists Mete Cem Bahtiyar and Yasir Kaya from prison. It has also recently become evident that Van-based journalist Ayhan Demir, the owner of the Çaldıran Ajans news website, who was arrested in 2017 on account of his social media posts and had been in prison on remand since, was released on February 28, 2018, by the court overseeing his trial.
 
In light of recent developments, at least 151 journalists are in prison in Turkey as of March 28, 2018. A detailed list can be found 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                Ahmet Altan
7                Ahmet Feyzullah Özyurt
8                Ahmet Memiş, Haberdar news website
9                Ahmet Metin Sekizkardeş, Zaman journalist
10              Ahmet Turan Alkan, Zaman
11              Ahmet Yavaş, TRT (Erzurum)
12              Akın Atalay, Cumhuriyet Foundation executive board chairman
13              Alaattin Güner, Cihan media director
14              Ali Ahmet Böken, TRT News coordinator
15              Ali Akkuş, Zaman
16              Ali Aşikar, Azadiya Welat
17              Ali Babür Boysal, Zaman page designer
18              Ali Bulaç, former Zaman columnist
19              Ali Sönmez Kayar, ETHA reporter
20              Ali Ünal, Zaman columnist
21              Ali Yüce, TRT Radio broadcasts chief
22              Arafat Dayan, Demokratik Ulus
23              Aslı Ceren Aslan, Özgür Gelecek
24              Ayşe Nazlı Ilıcak
25              Ayşenur Parıldak, Zaman, Haberdar
26              Aytekin Gezici, journalist/writer
27              Aziz İstegün, Diyarbakır Zaman representative
28              Barış Ceyhan, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi employee
29              Bayram Kaya, Zaman reporter
30              Behram Kılıç
31              Beytullah Özdemir, Zaman Düzce bureau chief
32              Burçin Dokgöz, former Zaman and Çorum reporter
33              Cemal Azmi Kalyoncu, Journalists and Writers’ Foundation
34              Ceren Taşkın, Hatay'ın Sesi
35              Cuma Kaya, Zaman
36              Cuma Ulus, Millet newspaper’s publications coordinator
37              Cüneyt Seza Özkan, Samanyolu TV
38              Çetin Kurşun, Azadiya Welat
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 Alayumat, 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, Zaman chief designer
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 owner and managing editor
64              Havva Cuştan, ETHA reporter
65              Hayati Yıldız, Azadiya Welat
66              Haydar Ergül, Demokratik Modernite editor
67              Hidayet Karaca, Samanyolu Media Group president
68              Hüseyin Aydın, Cihan reporter
69              Hüseyin Turan, Zaman columnist
70              İbrahim Kareyeğen, responsible editor for Zaman
71              İdris Okur, Cihan New Agency Çorum reporter
72              İdris Sayılgan, DİHA
73              İdris Yılmaz
74              İshak Karakaş, Hakın Nabzı editor-in-chief
75              İsmail Ersan, Anatolia news agency
76              İsminaz Temel, ETHA editor
77              Kamuran Sunbat, former DİHA Çukurova reporter
78              Kemal Demir, TV 10
79              Kemal Özer, Evrensel
80              Kenan Karavil, Radyo Dünya editor-in-chief
81              Kubilay Çelik, Antropolog magazine responsible managing editor
82              Mehmet Ali Ay
83              Mehmet Altan
84              Mehmet Baransu, Taraf columnist/reporter
85              Mehmet Dener, Şanlıurfa.com editor-in-chief
86              Mehmet Güleş, DİHA
87              Mehmet Gündem
88              Mehmet Kuru, Zaman Eskişehir reporter
89              Mehmet Özdemir, Zaman columnist
90              Meltem Oktay, DİHA reporter
91              Mikail Barut, Özgür Halk former editor
92              Miktat Algül, Mezitli FM broadcast coordinator
93              Mizgin Çay, Radyo Karacadağ
94              Muhammed Sait Kuloğlu, owner of Subuhaber.com
95              Muhammet Taşçılar, Şanlıurfa.com editor-in-chief
96              Muhsin Pilgir, Zaman and Cihan news agency
97              Murat Avcıoğlu, Zaman
98              Murat Çapan, Nokta
99              Murat Dağdeviren, Demokrat Gebze owner
100            Mustafa Erkan Acar, Bugün news editor
101            Mustafa Gök, Ankara bureau chief for Ekmek ve Adalet magazine
102            Mustafa Göktaş, Özgür Gündem Şanlıurfa reporter
103            Mustafa Ünal, Zaman
104            Mutlu Çölgeçen, Millet, newsroom coordinator
105            Mutlu Özay, Cihan reporter
106            Mümtazer Türköne, Zaman columnist
107            Nadir Yücel, Çorum Yıldız local newspaper editor-in-chief
108            Nedim Türfent, DİHA
109            Nizamettin İzgi, Batman newspaper owner
110            Nuh Gönültaş, Bugün columnist
111            Nuri Durna, TRT
112            Nuri Yeşil, Azadiya Welat Dersim bureau chief
113            Nurullah Kaya, Gaziantep Zaman representative
114            Oğuz Usluer, Habertürk former broadcasts coordinator
115            Osman Yakut, Zaman Antalya
116            Ömer Oruç, Cihan newspaper
117            Özcan Keser, TRT reporter
118            Rabia Özkaya, Özgür Halk
119            Ramazan Alkan, Yeni Akit reporter
120            Resul Cengiz, Denizli reporter with Zaman
121            Sadık Demir, Radyo Karacadağ
122            Sait Gürkan Tuzlu, Cihan reporter
123            Salih Erbekler, Radyo Karacadağ
124            Sami Tunca, Mücadele Birliği magazine managing editor
125            Seda Taşkın, Mezopotamya News Agency reporter
126            Semiha Mete, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi reporter/distributor
127            Serhat Şeftali, Zaman regional bureau chief for the Med region
128            Serkan Aydemir, Bitlis Aktüel reporter
129            Sertan Önal, Halkın Günlüğü reporter
130            Seyid Kılıç, TRT News
131            Seyithan Akyüz, Azadiya Welat Adana bureau chief
132            Şahabettin Demir, DİHA reporter
133            Şeref Yılmaz, Irmak TV
134            Şerife Oruç, DİHA reporter
135            Togay Okay, Özgür Gelecek
136            Tuncer Çetinkaya, Zaman Antalya
137            Turgut Usul, TRT reporter
138            Ufuk Şanlı, former Vatan columnist
139            Ünal Tanık, Rota Haber editor-in-chief
140            Vahit Yazgan, İzmir Zaman bureau chief
141            Veli Büyükşahin, TV10 executive
142            Veli Haydar Güleç, TV10 executive
143            Yakup Çetin, Zaman reporter
144            Yakup Şimşek, Zaman, marketing director
145            Yalçın Güler, TRT (Erzurum)
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