Journalists in State of Emergency – 65

 
 
On May 26, an Istanbul court ordered two journalists of the opposition Sözcü daily jailed pending trial, a week after they were taken into police custody on terrorism charges.
 
The court ruled to imprison the newspaper’s Izmir correspondent Gökmen Ulu and responsible manager of its online edition Mediha Olgun, while releasing the financial affairs manager, Yonca Yücekaleli, who was also arrested as part of the same investigation.
 
On May 19, arrest warrants were issued for the three staff members as well as the newspaper’s owner, Burak Akbay. Olgun, Ulu and Yücekaleli were taken into police custody while Akbay could not be arrested because he was abroad. 
 
The four are charged with “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” in connection with a news story on President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s location, which appeared on the newspaper’s website hours before a coup attempt on July 15, 2016.
 
Nokta editor put behind bars
 
Murat Çapan, the former responsible managing editor of the shuttered Nokta magazine who was arrested near the border with Greece, was imprisoned on May 26.
 
Anadolu news agency reported that Çapan was arrested and taken into custody on May 24 along with four others while trying to “illegally” cross into Greece by land in the Uzunköprü district of Edirne province.
 
On May 22, Çapan and the editor-in-chief of Nokta, Cevheri Güven, had been each given a 22-and-a-half-year sentence by Istanbul 14th High Criminal Court on charges of “inciting an armed rebellion against the government.”
 
Journalist Sezgin Kartal imprisoned
 
Sezgin Kartal, the responsible managing editor of Sosyalist Dayanışma magazine, was arrested and jailed on May 24 after the Supreme Court of Appeals upheld an earlier prison sentence on terrorism propaganda charges.
 
On January 17, Istanbul 13th High Criminal Court sentenced Kartal to 15 months in prison for “making propaganda for a terrorist organization” in relation to an article published in Sosyalist Dayanışma but he was not put under arrest, pending the outcome of appeal. Kartal was arrested and sent to Istanbul Metris Prison at Çağlayan Courthouse, where he was attending a hearing of another case.
 
The imprisonments over the past two days of Kartal, Sözcü journalists Ulu and Olgun and Nokta editor Çapan brings the number of journalists serving a conviction or awaiting trial behind bars to 169. A detailed list can be viewed here. 
 
ECtHR to give priority to Deniz Yücel application
 
The European Court of Human Rights has notified lawyers of Deniz Yücel, Turkey correspondent of German Die Welt newspaper, that an application filed with the court on behalf of the imprisoned journalist will be given priority.
 
The court said in a letter on May 25 that Yücel’s application would be reviewed “as soon as possible,” even though it was not given formal priority treatment under Rules of the European Court of Human Rights. Yücel has been imprisoned pending trial on terrorism charges since February 27.
 
Detained French journalist on hunger strike
 
Mathias Depardon, an Istanbul-based French photojournalist who was arrested on May 8 when filming in the southeastern province of Batman, has gone on hunger strike, his lawyer said.
 
Depardon was arrested in Hasankeyf, a district in Batman, while doing a report for National Geographic magazine. He was transferred on May 9 to a repatriation center operated by the Directorate for Migration Affairs in Gaziantep, where he has remained ever since. On May 11, authorities issued an order for his deportation but he has remained in detention since then.
 
Depardon’s lawyer, Emine Şeker, said that Depardon has been on hunger strike since Sunday, May 20.
 
Lawyers take journalists’ detention to Constitutional Court
 
Lawyers for journalists Murat Aksoy and Atilla Taş have applied to the Constitutional Court, complaining about their detention for a second time right after they were released in a case in which they face terrorism charges.
 
Yaman Akdeniz, an academic who is providing legal assistance to Aksoy and Taş, announced the application to the top court on his Twitter account on May 25.
 
Aksoy and Taş, along with 19 other journalists, were released pending trial on May 31 at the end of the first hearing of their trial but were immediately rearrested as part of a new investigation launched on coup charges.
 
Two journalists arrested
 
Journalists Sedat Sur and Özgür Aydın were arrested in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır on May 24.
 
Sur and Aydın were arrested in Sur district, where many buildings are being demolished as part of a state redevelopment project, and were questioned by the police at the Sur District Police Departmento on why they were in Sur.
 
Journalist Sur was released after the questioning while Aydın remained in police custody in connection with an investigation launched in the western province of İzmir.
 
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       
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       Gökmen Ulu, Sözcü Izmir correspondent         
54       Gurbet Çakar, Hevi women’s magazine   
55       Gültekin Avcı
56       Güray Tekin Öz, columnist
57       Habip Güler, Zaman reporter       
58       Hakan Aksel, TRT producer-director       
59       Hakan Ergün, Azadiya Welat and Özgür Gündem distributor  
60       Hakan Karasinir, columnist
61       Hakan Taşdelen     
62       Halil İbrahim Mert, TRT (Erzurum)         
63       Hamit Dilbahar, Azadiya Welat columnist
64       Hamza Günerigök, TRT      
65       Hanım Büşra Erdal, Zaman reporter and columnist      
66       Hasan Duman, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi distributor        
67       Haşim Söylemez, Aksiyon columnist         
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       İsa Siyi, Haberdar   
81       İsmail Avcı, Zaman 
82       İsmail Efe, local press advisor in İzmir    
83       Kadri Gürsel, Editorial Advisor     
84       Kamuran Sunbat, DİHA Çukurova reporter (formerly)
85       Kazım Kızıl, Kamera Sokak
86       Kemal Sancılı, Özgür Gündem copyrights holder
87       Kenan Karavil, Radyo Dünya editor-in-chief      
88       Lokman Erdoğan, Çorum Manşet, owner 
89       Mahir Kanaat, BirGün, head of accounting
90       Mediha Olgun, Sözcü online edition responsible manager         
91       Mehmet Altan         
92       Mehmet Baransu, Taraf columnist/reporter      
93       Mehmet Dener, Şanlıurfa.com editor-in-chief    
94       Mehmet Güleş, DİHA
95       Mehmet Kuru, Zaman Eskişehir reporter
96       Mehmet Özdemir, Zaman columnist        
97       Meltem Oktay, DİHA reporter       
98       Meşale Tolu, ETHA translater       
99       Mikail Barut, Özgür Halk former editor   
100       Miktat Algül, Mezitli FM General Publications Coordinator       
101       Mizgin Çay – Radyo Karacadağ    
102     Muhammet Taşçılar, Şanlıurfa.com editor-in-chief        
103     Murat Aksoy,former Yeni Şafak columnist
104     Murat Avcıoğlu, Zaman
105     Murat Çapan, Nokta responsible managing editor     
106     Murat Dağdeviren (Demokrat Gebze owner)     
107     Murat Sabuncu, Editor-in- Chief  
108     Musa Kart, Cartoonist        
109     Mustafa Erkan Acar, Bugün news editor,
110     Mustafa Gök, Ankara bureau chief for Ekmek ve Adalet magazine       
111     Mustafa Kemal Güngör, Cumhuriyet Foundation board member       
112     Mustafa Ünal, Zaman         
113     Mutlu Çölgeçen, Millet, newsroom coordinator  
114     Mümtazer Türköne, Zaman columnist     
115     Nadir Yücel, Çorum Yıldız (local) Editor-in-Chief
116     Nedim Türfent,DİHA
117     Nizamettin İzgi (Batman Newspaper’s owner)  
118     Nur Ener, Yeni Asya
119     Nuri Durna, TRT     
120     Nuri Yeşil, Azadiya Welat Dersim bureau chief  
121     Nurullah Kaya, G.antep Zaman representative  
122     Oğuz Güven, Cumhuriyet  
123     Oğuz Usluer, Habertürk former broadcasts coordinator
124     Olgun Matur, Antalya local journalist      
125     Osman Yakut, Zaman Antalya       
126     Ozan Kaplanoğlu, Bursa Muhalif  
127     Ömer Çelik, DİHA news manager 
128     Ömer Oruç, Cihan newspaper      
129     Ömer Özdemir, Antalya eski Zaman muhabiri    
130     Önder Çelik, Cumhuriyet Foundation board member   
131     Özcan Keser (TRT reporter)         
132     Özgür Amed (Ethem Çağır), Özgür Gündem writer       
133     Özkan Mayda, Antalya reporter with Zaman      
134     Rabia Özkaya, Özgür Halk 
135     Ramazan Alkan, Yeni Akit reporter
136     Resul Cengiz, Denizli reporter with Zaman          
137     Sadık Demir – Radyo Karacadağ  
138     Salih Erbekler – Radyo Karacadağ
139     Sami Tunca, Mücadele Birliği magazine Managing Editor         
140     Selman Keleş, DİHA
141     Serhat Şeftali, Zaman regional bureau chief for the Med region         
142     Serkan Aydemir, Bitlis Aktüel reporter    
143     Seyid Kılıç, TRT News        
144     Seyithan Akyüz, Azadiya Welat Adana bureau chief     
145     Sezgin Kartal, Sosyalist Dayanışma responsible managing editor
146    Şahabettin Demir, DİHA reporter
147     Şahin Alpay, Zaman columnist       
148     Şeref Yılmaz, Irmak TV      
149     Şerife Oruç, DİHA reporter
150     Şirin Çoban, Azadiya Welat
151     Tahsin Kürklü, Zaman – head of Logistics Department 
152     Togay Okay, Özgür Gelecek
153     Tunca Öğreten, former Diken editor        
154     Tuncer Çetinkaya, Zaman Antalya
155     Turhan Günay, Chief Editor of Cumhuriyet supplement
156     Ufuk Şanlı, former Vatan columnist         
157     Ulaş Sezgin, ETHA reporter
158     Ünal Tanık, Rota Haber editor-in-chief    
159     Vahit Yazgan, İzmir Zaman bureau chief
160     Vedat Beki, Sözcü
161     Vedat Demir, former Yarına Bakış writer
162     Yakup Çetin, Zaman reporter       
163     Yakup Şimşek, Zaman, marketing director
164     Yalçın Güler, TRT (Erzurum)         
165     Yener Dönmez, Habervaktim news website        
166     Yetkin Yıldız, Aktif Haber website editor 
167     Yılmaz Kahraman, Özgür Halk editor      
168     Zafer Özsoy 
169     Ziya Ataman, DİHA reporter