Journalists in State of Emergency – 80
French journalist Loup Bureau arrested in Şırnak, two local journalists arrested in Gaziantep. Journalist Ozan Kaplanoğlu released from prison
03.08.2017
On July 26, French journalist Loup Bureau, detained at the Habur Border Gate while entering Turkey from Iraq, was imprisoned pending trial on terrorism charges by a court on August 2.
News reports have said the French journalist was placed in pre-trial detention on charges of “aiding and abetting a terrorist organization.” He was placed in Şırnak Prison and a confidentiality order was imposed on his case.
BBC Turkish has reported that Bureau visited Arbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Regional Government, two weeks ago and then returned to Turkey, where he was detained under a prosecutorial warrant. An academic thesis he wrote on the People’s Protection Units (YPG), a Kurdish militia force in Syria, and some of the photographs he has taken were used as evidence to charge him with helping a terrorist group.
Two journalists imprisoned in Gaziantep
Two of four journalists taken into police custody in Gaziantep province for printing testimony from a businessman who was being investigated in a confidential probe into the July 15 coup attempt of last year were imprisoned pending trial in Gaziantep on August 2.
The case concerned the owner of a construction company, who is currently under arrest as part of an investigation into what the prosecutor calls the “FETÖ/PDY terrorist group” network in Gaziantep. His testimony was published by some local newspapers and news websites, which authorities have said defies a confidentiality order on the businessman’s case. The Gaziantep Chief Prosecutor’s Office issued arrest warrants for the four journalists on charges of “violating a confidentiality order.”
Journalists Metin Aybey, Murat Güreş and Furkan Gökşen were detained in the morning of August 2, while Kadir Akkurt, who was out of town in the morning hours, was detained the same day later in the evening. The three journalists were interrogated first by police, then by prosecutors and later referred to a court with prosecutors demanding their imprisonment pending trial. Güreş and Gökşen were sent to jail while Aybey was released under judicial control measures. Akkurt was released by prosecutors after testifying.
Bursa journalist released from prison
Editor of the local Bursa news website bursamuhalif.com Ozan Kaplanoğlu, who has been in prison since May 5 on charges of “conducting terror propaganda” in his social media posts was released on August 2, following his first court appearance in a session heard by the Bursa 10th High Criminal Court.
Kaplanoğlu was initially investigated for “membership in a terrorist organization and terrorist propaganda,” “insulting the president,” and “insulting religious sensibilities,” but later arrested on charges of “terror propaganda.” The journalist, who was imprisoned in a Denizli prison, testified in court via Turkey’s legal teleconferencing system SEGBİS. The court ruled for his release but issued an international travel ban.
The total number of journalists in prison following Kaplanoğlu’s release and the recent three arrests reached 164. The full list can be viewed here.
Cameramen Rojhat Doğru released
Rojhat Doğru, a cameraman with NRT TV who was detained in Diyarbakır province in late July was released on August 2, after nine days in detention.
The cameraman for NRT TV, which broadcasts in the Iraqi Kurdistan, was detained on July 25 in a home raid.
Two more Özgürlükçü Demokrasi distributors detained
Two employees of the Özgürlükçü Demokrasi newspaper, Zinet Aşan and Cemile Çiftçi, were detained by police on August 1 while distributing copies of the newspaper.
The two media employees were detained for handing out copies of Özgürlükçü Demorkasi and the Rojeva Medya newspapers, according to news reports.
Their detention comes one week after the imprisonment pending trial of Özgürlükçü Demokrasi employees Özkan Erdoğan and Serkan Erdoğan on July 28 and 29 respectively on charges of membership in a terrorist organization and conducting propaganda for a terrorist organization.
Imprisoned journalist given forced haircut
Journalist Cihan Acar, who was imprisoned a year ago on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” and participating in the 2016 coup attempt, was forced by prison guards to have his hair cut, despite attempting to grow it.
Acar’s lawyer Mustafa Söğütlü said Acar was forcibly shaved after he was taken to the prison barber. He said four or five warders were brought into the prison barber after he said he does not want his hair cut.
Söğütlü said a forced haircut is an act of maltreatment adding that he will file a complaint against the guards.
Evrensel writer indicted soon after arrest
An indictment accusing Evrensel writer Yusuf Karataş of “leading a terrorist organization” has been presented to a Diyarbakır court, according to news reports from July 31.
Karataş was arrested on July 27 in Diyarbakır province as part of an investigation into the Democratic Society Congress (DTK), an umbrella platform for a large number of pro-Kurdish civil society organizations. The indictment was completed a day after his arrest, Evrensel said.
The prosecutor demands up to 22.5 years of imprisonment for the Evrensel writer on the above mentioned charges.
Sendika.org blocked for 58th time
The news website Sendika.org has announced that access to its latest working website sendika58.org was blocked yet again by the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK). It said it was now online at sendika59.org.
On July 4, Sendika.org said it had asked to be included in the Guinness World Book of Records after being blocked for the 49th time.
List of journalists in Turkish prisons
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 Haşim Söylemez, Aksiyon columnist
69 Hatice Duman, Atılım newspaper’s owner and managing editor
70 Hayati Yıldız, Azadiya Welat
71 Hidayet Karaca, Samanyolu Media Group President
72 Hülya Karakaya, Özgür Halk Managing Editor
73 Hüseyin Aydın, Cihan reporter
74 Hüseyin Turan, Zaman columnist
75 İbrahim Balta, Zaman business editor
76 İbrahim Kareyeğen, responsible editor for Zaman
77 İdris Okur, Cihan New Agency Çorum reporter
78 İdris Sayılgan, DİHA
79 İlker İlkan, Azadiya Welat
80 İnan Kızılkaya, Özgür Gündem Newsroom Editor
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 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 Mediha Olgun, Sözcü
90 Mehmet Altan
91 Mehmet Baransu, Taraf columnist/reporter
92 Mehmet Çakmakçı, Medyascope.tv 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,
106 Murat Dağdeviren (Demokrat Gebze owner)
107 Murat Sabuncu, Editor-in- Chief
108 Mustafa Erkan Acar, Bugün news editor,
109 Mustafa Gök, Ankara bureau chief for Ekmek ve Adalet magazine
110 Mustafa Ünal, Zaman
111 Mutlu Çölgeçen, Millet, newsroom coordinator
112 Mümtazer Türköne, Zaman columnist
113 Nadir Yücel, Çorum Yıldız (local) Editor-in-Chief
114 Nedim Türfent,DİHA
115 Nizamettin İzgi (Batman Newspaper’s owner)
116 Nur Ener, Yeni Asya
117 Nuri Durna, TRT
118 Nuri Yeşil, Azadiya Welat Dersim bureau chief
119 Nurullah Kaya, G.antep Zaman representative
120 Oğuz Usluer, Habertürk former broadcasts coordinator
121 Osman Yakut, Zaman Antalya
122 Ömer Çelik, DİHA news manager
123 Ömer Oruç, Cihan newspaper
124 Ömer Özdemir, Antalya eski Zaman muhabiri
125 Özcan Keser (TRT reporter)
126 Özkan Erdoğan, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi
127 Rabia Özkaya, Özgür Halk
128 Ramazan Alkan, Yeni Akit reporter
129 Resul Cengiz, Denizli reporter with Zaman
130 Sadık Demir – Radyo Karacadağ
131 Salih Erbekler – Radyo Karacadağ
132 Sami Tunca, Mücadele Birliği magazine Managing Editor
133 Selman Keleş, DİHA
134 Serhat Şeftali, Zaman regional bureau chief for the Med region
135 Serkan Aydemir, Bitlis Aktüel reporter
136 Serkan Erdoğan, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi
137 Seyid Kılıç, TRT News
138 Seyithan Akyüz, Azadiya Welat Adana bureau chief
139 Sezgin Kartal, Sosyalist Dayanımşa magazine
140 Şahabettin Demir, DİHA reporter
141 Şahin Alpay, Zaman columnist
142 Şeref Yılmaz, Irmak TV
143 Şerife Oruç, DİHA reporter
144 Şirin Çoban, Azadiya Welat
145 Tahsin Kürklü, Zaman – head of Logistics Department
146 Togay Okay, Özgür Gelecek
147 Tunca Öğreten, former Diken editor
148 Tuncer Çetinkaya, Zaman Antalya
149 Ufuk Şanlı, former Vatan columnist
150 Ulaş Sezgin, ETHA reporter
151 Ünal Tanık, Rota Haber editor-in-chief
152 Vahit Yazgan, İzmir Zaman bureau chief
153 Vedat Beki, Sözcü 18
154 Vedat Demir, former Yarına Bakış writer
155 Yakup Çetin, Zaman reporter
156 Yakup Şimşek, Zaman, marketing director
157 Yalçın Güler, TRT (Erzurum)
158 Yener Dönmez, Habervaktim news website
159 Yetkin Yıldız, Aktif Haber website editor
160 Yılmaz Kahraman, Özgür Halk editor
161 Yusuf Karataş, Evrensel columnist
162 Zafer Özsoy
163 Zehra Doğan, Jinha
164 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.