Journalists in State of Emergency – 83

 
 
 
The Istanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office on August 10 issued detention warrants for 35 journalists who allegedly used ByLock, a messaging application used by the Fethullah Gülen network, which Turkish authorities claim was behind last year’s coup attempt.
 
The 35 journalists are being sought on charges of “membership in a terrorist,” organization, the state-owned Anatolian News Agency said. The agency also reported that the warrants had been issued as part of a probe into the “media arm of the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ).”
 
Nine of the 35 journalists were taken into police custody in the morning of August 10. Those who were detained are BirGün newspaper’s internet editor Burak Ekici, shuttered Zaman daily’s and Cihan News Agency reporter Muhsin Pilgir, İhlas news agency investigations chief editor Ömer Faruk Aydemir, Cüneyt Seza Özkan who worked as a news editor at the shuttered Samanyolu Haber news station, former Türkiye newspaper columnist Ahmet Sağılrı, Yusuf Duran, Ahmet Feyzullah Özyurt, Sait Gürkan Tuzlu and Mutlu Özay.
 
In a statement about the police operation, BirGün newspaper said Ekici, editor of www.birgun.net who was detained for using ByLock, had started work at the newspaper a year ago. It also said that the operation didn’t specifically target the newspaper. Stating that lawyers of the newspaper were closely monitoring the process, the newspaper said: “We expect that allegations into Ekici are made clear to us and the investigation is completed as soon as possible.”
 
On July 21, warrants to capture 34 former employees of several media outlets shut down under Cabinet Decrees were issued for using ByLock. However, no names were provided in any of the related reports.  Two days prior to those warrants, on July 19, eight former employees of the Turkish Radio and Television (TRT) network were detained on ByLock allegations, but their identities were also withheld by authorities.
 
International organizations call on Spain to release journalist Yalçın
 
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), International Press Institute (IPI) and the International Federation of Journalists and European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) have issued calls to Spanish authorities, demanding that Turkish journalist Hamza Yalçın, who also holds a Swedish passport, be released.
 
Yalçın was arrested in Spain on August 4 on the grounds that an Interpol red notice was issued for him by Turkey. Reports have said the charges stem from one or more articles he wrote for the left-wing Odak magazine.
 
In its statement, the IPI stated” Interpol and governments around the world are on notice that blindly honouring these warrants makes them complicit” in human rights violations occurring in Turkey.
 
Spanish authorities should immediately and unconditionally release Hamza Yalçın,” the CPJ said, warning that “Deporting Yalçın would set a terrible precedent for those Turkish journalists who have escaped Turkey for the relative freedom of the European Union."”
 
IFJ and EFJ’s statement condemned Yalçın’s arrest and called on authorities not to extradite him to Turkey.
 
Columnists Nuray Mert and Akif Beki fired 
 
Cumhuriyet columnist Nuray Mert and Hürriyet columnist Akif Beki were fired on August 9.
 
Mert’s firing came after a debate over her recent pieces regarding the removal of the evolution theory from the curriculum and a draft law that will give muftis the right to wed.
 
Orhan Erinç, chairman of the Cumhuriyet Foundation Board of Directors, argued that Mert’s recents columns were in violation of  the daily’s editorial principles, adding that the decision “has been made with the approval of Cumhuriyet executives currently in Silivri prison.”
 
It has been argued that the reason for Beki’s firing was his recent critical pieces about the ruling AKP.
 
Shut down TV stations unable to apply to the State of Emergency Commission
 
IMC TV, Hayatın Sesi ve TV 10, which were shut down with government decrees following the failed coup attempt, will not be able to apply to the commission set up to decide on the rights applications regarding the decrees.
 
According to Dihaber, the names of television channels have not been included in a preliminary application form published on the Internet by the commission. Hence, those TV stations will not be able to apply to the commission for the reversal of the decisions to shut them down.
 
List of Imprisoned Journalists
 
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       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       İsmail Avcı, Zaman
81       İsmail Efe, local press advisor in İzmir
82       Kadri Gürsel, Editorial Advisor
83       Kamuran Sunbat, DİHA Çukurova reporter (formerly)
84       Kemal Sancılı, Özgür Gündem copyrights holder
85       Kenan Karavil, Radyo Dünya editor-in-chief
86       Lokman Erdoğan, Çorum Manşet, owner
87       Mahir Kanaat, BirGün, head of accountingn
88       Mediha Olgun, Sözcü
89       Mehmet Altan
90       Mehmet Baransu, Taraf columnist/reporter
91       Mehmet Çakmakçı, Medyascope.tv reporter
92       Mehmet Dener, Şanlıurfa.com editor-in-chief
93       Mehmet Güleş, DİHA
94       Mehmet Kuru, Zaman Eskişehir reporter
95       Mehmet Özdemir, Zaman columnist
96       Meltem Oktay, DİHA reporter
97       Meşale Tolu, ETHA translater
98       Mikail Barut, Özgür Halk former editor
99       Miktat Algül, Mezitli FM General Publications Coordinator
100     Mizgin Çay – Radyo Karacadağ
101     Muhammet Taşçılar, Şanlıurfa.com editor-in-chief
102     Murat Aksoy,former Yeni Şafak columnist
103     Murat Avcıoğlu, Zaman
104     Murat Çapan,
105     Murat Dağdeviren (Demokrat Gebze owner)
106     Murat Sabuncu, Editor-in- Chief
107     Mustafa Erkan Acar, Bugün news editor,
108     Mustafa Gök, Ankara bureau chief for Ekmek ve Adalet magazine
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 Usluer, Habertürk former broadcasts coordinator
120     Osman Yakut, Zaman Antalya
121     Ömer Çelik, DİHA news manager
122     Ömer Oruç, Cihan newspaper
123     Ömer Özdemir, Antalya eski Zaman muhabiri
124     Özcan Keser (TRT reporter)
125     Özkan Erdoğan, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi
126     Rabia Özkaya, Özgür Halk
127     Ramazan Alkan, Yeni Akit reporter
128     Resul Cengiz, Denizli reporter with Zaman
129     Sadık Demir – Radyo Karacadağ
130     Salih Erbekler – Radyo Karacadağ
131     Sami Tunca, Mücadele Birliği magazine Managing Editor
132     Selman Keleş, DİHA
133     Serhat Şeftali, Zaman regional bureau chief for the Med region
134     Serkan Aydemir, Bitlis Aktüel reporter
135     Serkan Erdoğan, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi
136     Seyid Kılıç, TRT News
137     Seyithan Akyüz, Azadiya Welat Adana bureau chief
138     Sezgin Kartal, Sosyalist Dayanımşa magazine
139     Şahabettin Demir, DİHA reporter
140     Şahin Alpay, Zaman columnist
141     Şeref Yılmaz, Irmak TV
142     Şerife Oruç, DİHA reporter
143     Şirin Çoban, Azadiya Welat
144     Tahsin Kürklü, Zaman – head of Logistics Department
145     Togay Okay, Özgür Gelecek
146     Tunca Öğreten, former Diken editor
147     Tuncer Çetinkaya, Zaman Antalya
148     Ufuk Şanlı, former Vatan columnist
149     Ulaş Sezgin, ETHA reporter
150     Ünal Tanık, Rota Haber editor-in-chief
151     Vahit Yazgan, İzmir Zaman bureau chief
152     Vedat Beki, Sözcü 18
153     Vedat Demir, former Yarına Bakış writer
154     Yakup Çetin, Zaman reporter
155     Yakup Şimşek, Zaman, marketing director
156     Yalçın Güler, TRT (Erzurum)
157     Yener Dönmez, Habervaktim news website
158     Yetkin Yıldız, Aktif Haber website editor
159     Yılmaz Kahraman, Özgür Halk editor
160     Yusuf Karataş, Evrensel columnist
161     Zafer Özsoy
162     Zehra Doğan, Jinha
163     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.