Journalists in State of Emergency – 64

 
 
On May 22, former editor-in-chief of the shuttered Nokta magazine, Cevheri Güven, and its responsible managing editor Murat Çapan were each sentenced to 22 years and six months in prison for “inciting an armed rebellion against the Government of the Republic of Turkey” in connection with two covers of the magazine published in the autumn of 2015.
 
The Istanbul 14th High Criminal Court acquitted Güven and Çapan of another charge — “terror propaganda.” The court also ruled to issue an arrest warrant for the two journalists, who were earlier released pending trial in this case but are wanted in connection with other ones. The charges against Güven and Çapan stem from two controversial covers of Nokta published in September and November 2015; one featuring a doctored photo of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan taking a selfie at a soldier’s funeral, and another predicting a possible civil war in Turkey.
 
Court upholds prison sentences in Özgür Gündem case
 
An appeal court upheld on May 22 two separate verdicts sentencing journalist Kumru Başer and pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) deputy Çilem Küçükkeleş each to 15 months in prison for their role in a solidarity campaign with the pro-Kurdish Özgür Gündem daily.
 
Başer and Küçükkeleş were separately convicted for “terror propaganda” for columns and reports that were published on the days that they symbolically edited Özgür Gündem, which was subsequently closed down with an emergency decree.
 
A prison sentence handed down to writer Yıldırım Türker for his role in the solidarity campaign has been upheld earlier.
 
Fifth hearing in insult case against journalists
 
The fifth hearing of a case in which writer Perihan Mağden, former Diken news portal editor Tunca Öğreten and Yurt daily editors Mehmet Çağlar Tekin and Orhan Şahin face up to more than 4 years in jail for “insulting the president” was held on May 23 at the Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance.
 
The charges against the four journalists stem from a news report including comments from Mağden, a former columnist of the shuttered Nokta magazine, about a police raid on the magazine in September 2015. The report first appeared on Diken and was re-printed by Yurt daily.
 
The next hearing of the case is due to be held on a July 4.
 
Journalist Serhat Yaruk released
 
Journalist Serhat Yaruk, who was arrested in a series of police raids in the eastern province of Van on May 11, was released on judicial control after testifying before a court on May 23.
 
The same court ruled that eight other people arrested along with Yaruk, including Van provincial co-leader of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Regions Party (DBP), Ahmet Aygün, be jailed pending trial.
 
Sendika.org reporter detained
 
Mert Arslan, a reporter for sendika.org website, was arrested on May 22 as he was covering a demonstration in Ankara’s Yüksel Street held in support of academic Nuriye Gülmen and teacher Semih Özakça, who were arrested in a police raid earlier this week. Özakça and Gülmen have been on a hunger strike for more than two months to protest their dismissals from their jobs with an emergency decree.
 
Journalist Candan Yıldız arrested
 
Journalist Candan Yıldız was arrested on May 20 along with six other people during a demonstration in Istanbul in support of Nuriye Gülmen and Semih Özakça, who have been sacked with an emergency decree and arrested this week while on a hunger strike to protest their dismissals. Yıldız and others were released on May 21, after testifying to a prosecutor.
 
Sözcü publishes blank issue to protest arrests
 
Opposition Sözcü daily published on May 20 a blank issue that it called “May 19 Press Freedom Special Edition” to protest arrest warrants issued for its owner and three staff members on May 19.
 
Arrest warrants were issued for owner Burak Akbay, responsible manager of the newspaper’s website Mediha Olgun, financial affairs manager Yonca Kaleli and Izmir correspondent Gökmen Ulu. Olgun and Ulu were arrested on May 19 while Akbay was not found in his residence because he was abroad.  
 
The four are reportedly accused of “committing crimes on behalf of the Fetullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ),” as well as assisting attempts to “assassinate and physically attack the president” and “armed rebellion against the Government of the Republic of Turkey.”
 
 
List of imprisoned journalists in Turkey
 
1          Abdulkadir Turay, DİHA reporter 
2          Abdullah Kılıç, Habertürk  
3          Abdullah Özyurt, Zaman reporter 
4          Abdulvahap İş (Freelance journalist)       
5          Abdürrahim Ersöz, Antalya
6          Ahmet Altan 
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 Konar, Azadiya Welat bureau chief     
19       Ali Ünal, Zaman columnist  
20       Ali Yüce, TRT Radio broadcasts chief        
21       Arafat Dayan, Demokratik Ulus
22       Aslı Ceren Aslan, Özgür Gelecek    
23       Atilla Taş, Meydan columnist         
24       Ayhan Demir, Çaldıran News Agency
25       Ayşe Nazlı Ilıcak       
26       Ayşenur Parıldak, Zaman, Haberdar         
27       Aytekin Gezici, journalist/writer    
28       Aziz İstegün, Diyarbakır Zaman representative
29       Bayram Kaya, Zaman reporter      
30       Beytullah Özdemir, Zaman Düzce bureau chief  
31       Burçin Dokgöz, former Zaman and Çorum reporter       
32       Bülent Utku, Cumhuriyet Foundation board member   
33       Bünyamin Köseli, Aksiyon magazine reporter     
34       Cebrail Parıltı, Anadolu Ajansı (AA) Derik reporter        
35       Cemal Azmi Kalyoncu, Journalists and Writers’ Foundation      
36       Ceren Taşkın, Hatay'ın Sesi
37       Cihan Acar, Bugün reporter
38       Cuma Kaya, Zaman 
39       Cuma Ulus, Millet newspaper’s publications coordinator          
40       Deniz Yücel, Die Welt          
41       Emin Demir, Freelancer     
42       Emre Soncan, Zaman defense reporter    
43       Ercan Gün, Fox TV   
44       Erdal Süsem, Eylül magazine editor         
45       Erdal Şen, former Meydan managing editor       
46       Erol Yüksel (TRT News Department vice president))    
47       Erol Zavar, Odak magazine, owner and newsroom director        20.01.2007
48       Fahrettin Kılıç, Özgür Toplum       
49       Faruk Akkan, Cihan news agency  
50       Ferhat Çiftçi, Azadiya Welat Gaziantep bureau chief      
51       Fevzi Yazıcı    
52       Gökçe Fırat Çulhaoğlu, Türksolu columnist          
53       Gurbet Çakar, Hevi women’s magazine    
54       Gültekin Avcı
55       Güray Tekin Öz, columnist 
56       Habip Güler, Zaman reporter        
57       Hakan Aksel, TRT producer-director        
58       Hakan Ergün, Azadiya Welat and Özgür Gündem distributor   
59       Hakan Karasinir, columnist
60       Hakan Taşdelen      
61       Halil İbrahim Mert, TRT (Erzurum)          
62       Hamit Dilbahar, Azadiya Welat columnist
63       Hamza Günerigök, TRT       
64       Hanım Büşra Erdal, Zaman reporter and columnist       
65       Hasan Duman, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi distributor         
66       Haşim Söylemez, Aksiyon columnist          
67       Hatice Duman, Atılım newspaper’s owner and managing editor          
68       Hayati Yıldız, Azadiya Welat
69       Hidayet Karaca, Samanyolu Media Group President      
70       Hülya Karakaya, Özgür Halk Managing Editor    
71       Hüseyin Aydın, Cihan reporter      
72       Hüseyin Turan, Zaman columnist 
73       İbrahim Balta, Zaman business editor      
74       İbrahim Kareyeğen, responsible editor for Zaman         
75       İdris Okur, Cihan New Agency Çorum reporter  
76       İdris Sayılgan, DİHA
77       İlker İlkan, Azadiya Welat  
78       İnan Kızılkaya, Özgür Gündem Newsroom Editor
79       İsa Siyi, Haberdar    
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       Kazım Kızıl, Kamera Sokak 
85       Kemal Sancılı, Özgür Gündem copyrights holder
86       Kenan Karavil, Radyo Dünya editor-in-chief       
87       Lokman Erdoğan, Çorum Manşet, owner  
88       Mahir Kanaat, BirGün, head of accountingn        
89       Mehmet Altan          
90       Mehmet Baransu, Taraf columnist/reporter       
91       Mehmet Dener, Şanlıurfa.com editor-in-chief     
92       Mehmet Güleş, DİHA
93       Mehmet Kuru, Zaman Eskişehir reporter
94       Mehmet Özdemir, Zaman columnist         
95       Meltem Oktay, DİHA reporter        
96       Meşale Tolu, ETHA translater        
97       Mikail Barut, Özgür Halk former editor    
98       Miktat Algül, Mezitli FM General Publications Coordinator        
99       Mizgin Çay – Radyo Karacadağ     
100     Muhammet Taşçılar, Şanlıurfa.com editor-in-chief         
101     Murat Aksoy,former Yeni Şafak columnist
102     Murat Avcıoğlu, Zaman       
103     Murat Dağdeviren (Demokrat Gebze owner)      
104     Murat Sabuncu, Editor-in- Chief   
105     Musa Kart, Cartoonist         
106     Mustafa Erkan Acar, Bugün news editor, 
107     Mustafa Gök, Ankara bureau chief for Ekmek ve Adalet magazine        
108     Mustafa Kemal Güngör, Cumhuriyet Foundation board member        
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 Güven, Cumhuriyet   
120     Oğuz Usluer, Habertürk former broadcasts coordinator
121     Olgun Matur, Antalya local journalist       
122     Osman Yakut, Zaman Antalya        
123     Ozan Kaplanoğlu, Bursa Muhalif   
124     Ömer Çelik, DİHA news manager  
125     Ömer Oruç, Cihan newspaper       
126     Ömer Özdemir, Antalya eski Zaman muhabiri     
127     Önder Çelik, Cumhuriyet Foundation board member    
128     Özcan Keser (TRT reporter)          
129     Özgür Amed (Ethem Çağır), Özgür Gündem writer        
130     Özkan Mayda, Antalya reporter with Zaman       
131     Rabia Özkaya, Özgür Halk  
132     Ramazan Alkan, Yeni Akit reporter
133     Resul Cengiz, Denizli reporter with Zaman           
134     Sadık Demir – Radyo Karacadağ   
135     Salih Erbekler – Radyo Karacadağ
136     Sami Tunca, Mücadele Birliği magazine Managing Editor          
137     Selman Keleş, DİHA
138     Serhat Şeftali, Zaman regional bureau chief for the Med region          
139     Serkan Aydemir, Bitlis Aktüel reporter     
140     Seyid Kılıç, TRT News         
141     Seyithan Akyüz, Azadiya Welat Adana bureau chief       
142     Şahabettin Demir, DİHA reporter 
143     Şahin Alpay, Zaman columnist        
144     Şeref Yılmaz, Irmak TV       
145     Şerife Oruç, DİHA reporter
146     Şirin Çoban, Azadiya Welat
147     Tahsin Kürklü, Zaman – head of Logistics Department  
148     Togay Okay, Özgür Gelecek
149     Tunca Öğreten, former Diken editor         
150     Tuncer Çetinkaya, Zaman Antalya
151     Turhan Günay, Chief Editor of Cumhuriyet supplement
152     Ufuk Şanlı, former Vatan columnist          
153     Ulaş Sezgin, ETHA reporter
154     Ünal Tanık, Rota Haber editor-in-chief     
155     Vahit Yazgan, İzmir Zaman bureau chief 
156     Vedat Beki, Sözcü
157     Vedat Demir, former Yarına Bakış writer 
158     Yakup Çetin, Zaman reporter        
159     Yakup Şimşek, Zaman, marketing director
160     Yalçın Güler, TRT (Erzurum)          
161     Yener Dönmez, Habervaktim news website        
162     Yetkin Yıldız, Aktif Haber website editor  
163     Yılmaz Kahraman, Özgür Halk editor       
164     Zafer Özsoy  
165     Ziya Ataman, DİHA reporter