Journalists in State of Emergency – 85
Nine journalists detained for using ByLock arrested and sent to prison. Two journalists imprisoned in Gaziantep released
17.08.2017
On August 16, nine out of 11 journalists who were detained six days ago in an investigation being conducted by the Istanbul Prosecutor’s Office into the “media arm of the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ)” were arrested by court order.
The nine journalists now imprisoned awaiting trial were among 35 for whom arrest warrants were issued on July 21 on charges of using ByLock — an encrypted chat application which Turkish authorities say was used by members of the Fethullah Gülen network, which is allegedly the group behind the July 15 coup attempt in Turkey.
Eleven out of the 35 were taken into police custody, while 24 others could not be found at their residential addresses.
The journalists were charged with “membership in a terrorist organization” after being interrogated first by prosecutors and then being arraigned by a judgeship on the request of the prosecutor in charge of the probe. Those who were arrested are: BirGün newspaper’s internet editor Burak Ekici, Zaman and Cihan reporter Muhsin Pilgir, İhlas News Agency (İHA) editor Ömer Faruk Aydemir, Cihan reporter Sait Gürkan Tuzlu, former Samanyolu television news editor Cüneyt Seza Özkan, Ahmet Feyzullah Özyurt, Cihan reporter Mutlu Özay, Mehmet Ali Ay and former Fenerbahçe TV news manager Yasir Kaya.
Vatan daily’s page designer Yusuf Duran and former Turkiye columnist Ahmet Sağırlı were released under judicial control measures.
The imprisonment of 9 journalists follows arrest warrants issued on July 21, 2017 for 34 former employees of media institutions closed down by emergency decrees, again for using ByLock. None of the 34 people was identified in the news reports.
On July 19, eight former Turkish Radio and Television (TRT) employees were also sent to jail pending trial on ByLock-related charges in Istanbul while on July 12, arrest warrants were issued for 34 former TRT employees. No names were released to the media.
Two Gaziantep journalists released
Two local Gaziantep journalists who were sent to prison on August 2 for “violating a confidentiality order” imposed on the case of a businessman who was imprisoned in an investigation into the Fethullah Gülen network were released on August 15.
Murat Güreş and Furkan Gökşen were arrested for publishing testimony from the businessman. They were released following objections filed by their lawyers to their arrest ruling.
With the recent ByLock arrests and the release of the two local journalists, the number of journalists imprisoned in Turkey has reached 171.
İleri Haber editor briefly detained
İzgen Gökçe, an editor for the İleri Haber news website was detained in a home raid on August 15 in Bartın. Gökçe was taken to Ankara and was released later in the same day after giving statement to the authorities.
According to media reports, four members of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) and a member of the socialist Federation of Idea Clubs (FKF) are wanted in the same investigation as Gökçe.
A statement from İleri Haber noted that Gökçe currently studies journalism in university and has no affiliation with any group and only practices journalism.
Dihaber reporter Deniz Nazlım released
Dihaber journalist Deniz Nazlım who was detained along with nine members of the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) was released on August 16. The HDP members in custody were also released.
List of journalists imprisoned in Turey
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 Feyzullah Özyurt
8 Ahmet Memiş, Gazeteci, Haberdar news website
9 Ahmet Metin Sekizkardeş, Zaman journalist
10 Ahmet Şık, Cumhuriyet reporter
11 Ahmet Turan Alkan, Zaman
12 Ahmet Yavaş, TRT (Erzurum)
13 Akın Atalay, Pres. of Cumhuriyet Foundation Executive Board
14 Alaattin Güner, Cihan media director
15 Ali Ahmet Böken, TRT News coordinator
16 Ali Aşikar – Azadiya Welat
17 Ali Babür Boysal, Zaman page designer
18 Ali Bulaç, Eski Zaman columnist
19 Ali Konar, Azadiya Welat bureau chief
20 Ali Ünal, Zaman columnist
21 Ali Yüce, TRT Radio broadcasts chief
22 Arafat Dayan, Demokratik Ulus
23 Aslı Ceren Aslan, Özgür Gelecek
24 Atilla Taş, Meydan columnist
25 Ayhan Demir, Çaldıran News Agency
26 Ayşe Nazlı Ilıcak
27 Ayşenur Parıldak, Zaman, Haberdar
28 Aytekin Gezici, journalist/writer
29 Aziz İstegün, Diyarbakır Zaman representative
30 Bayram Kaya, Zaman reporter
31 Beytullah Özdemir, Zaman Düzce bureau chief
32 Burak Ekici, Birgün
33 Burçin Dokgöz, former Zaman and Çorum reporter
34 Bünyamin Köseli, Aksiyon magazine reporter
35 Cebrail Parıltı, Anadolu Ajansı (AA) Derik reporter
36 Cemal Azmi Kalyoncu, Journalists and Writers’ Foundation
37 Ceren Taşkın, Hatay'ın Sesi
38 Cihan Acar, Bugün reporter
39 Cuma Kaya, Zaman
40 Cuma Ulus, Millet newspaper’s publications coordinator
41 Cüneyt Seza Özkan, Samanyolu TV
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 Loup Bureau, freelancer
88 Mahir Kanaat, BirGün, head of accountingn
89 Mediha Olgun, Sözcü
90 Mehmet Ali Aya
91 Mehmet Altan
92 Mehmet Baransu, Taraf columnist/reporter
93 Mehmet Çakmakçı, Medyascope.tv reporter
94 Mehmet Dener, Şanlıurfa.com editor-in-chief
95 Mehmet Güleş, DİHA
96 Mehmet Kuru, Zaman Eskişehir reporter
97 Mehmet Özdemir, Zaman columnist
98 Meltem Oktay, DİHA reporter
99 Meşale Tolu, ETHA translater
100 Mikail Barut, Özgür Halk former editor
101 Miktat Algül, Mezitli FM General Publications Coordinator
102 Mizgin Çay – Radyo Karacadağ
103 Muhammet Taşçılar, Şanlıurfa.com editor-in-chief
104 Muhsin Pilgir, Zaman and Cihan news agency
105 Murat Aksoy,former Yeni Şafak columnist
106 Murat Avcıoğlu, Zaman
107 Murat Çapan,
108 Murat Çelikkan (Özgür Gündem solidarity trial)
109 Murat Dağdeviren (Demokrat Gebze owner)
110 Murat Sabuncu, Editor-in- Chief
111 Mustafa Erkan Acar, Bugün news editor,
112 Mustafa Gök, Ankara bureau chief for Ekmek ve Adalet magazine
113 Mustafa Ünal, Zaman
114 Mutlu Çölgeçen, Millet, newsroom coordinator
115 Mutlu Özay, Cihan reporter
116 Mümtazer Türköne, Zaman columnist
117 Nadir Yücel, Çorum Yıldız (local) Editor-in-Chief
118 Nedim Türfent,DİHA
119 Nizamettin İzgi (Batman Newspaper’s owner)
120 Nur Ener, Yeni Asya
121 Nuri Durna, TRT
122 Nuri Yeşil, Azadiya Welat Dersim bureau chief
123 Nurullah Kaya, G.antep Zaman representative
124 Oğuz Usluer, Habertürk former broadcasts coordinator
125 Osman Yakut, Zaman Antalya
126 Ömer Çelik, DİHA news manager
127 Ömer Faruk Aydemir, İHA editor
128 Ömer Oruç, Cihan newspaper
129 Ömer Özdemir, Antalya eski Zaman muhabiri
130 Özcan Keser (TRT reporter)
131 Özkan Erdoğan, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi
132 Rabia Özkaya, Özgür Halk
133 Ramazan Alkan, Yeni Akit reporter
134 Resul Cengiz, Denizli reporter with Zaman
135 Sadık Demir – Radyo Karacadağ
136 Sait Gürka Tuzlu, Cihan reporter
137 Salih Erbekler – Radyo Karacadağ
138 Sami Tunca, Mücadele Birliği magazine Managing Editor
139 Selman Keleş, DİHA
140 Serhat Şeftali, Zaman regional bureau chief for the Med region
141 Serkan Aydemir, Bitlis Aktüel reporter
142 Serkan Erdoğan, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi
143 Seyid Kılıç, TRT News
144 Seyithan Akyüz, Azadiya Welat Adana bureau chief
145 Sezgin Kartal, Sosyalist Dayanımşa magazine
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 Ufuk Şanlı, former Vatan columnist
156 Ulaş Sezgin, ETHA reporter
157 Ünal Tanık, Rota Haber editor-in-chief
158 Vahit Yazgan, İzmir Zaman bureau chief
159 Vedat Beki, Sözcü 18
160 Vedat Demir, former Yarına Bakış writer
161 Yakup Çetin, Zaman reporter
162 Yakup Şimşek, Zaman, marketing director
163 Yalçın Güler, TRT (Erzurum)
164 Yasir Kaya, Fenerbahçe TV, formerly
165 Yener Dönmez, Habervaktim news website
166 Yetkin Yıldız, Aktif Haber website editor
167 Yılmaz Kahraman, Özgür Halk editor
168 Yusuf Karataş, Evrensel columnist
169 Zafer Özsoy
170 Zehra Doğan, Jinha
171 Ziya Ataman, DİHA reporter
For full lists of journalists in prison, the outlets shut down under State of Emergency as well as lists of associatons and foundations shuttered under emergency decreese, click here.