Journalists in State of Emergency – 92

 
The news manager responsible for Sözcü ’s internet website, Mediha Olgun, who had been imprisoned since May 19 as part of an operation into the newspaper, was released on September 22.
 
The investigation concerned a news report detailing the whereabouts of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the night of July 15, 2016 when Turkey’s failed coup attempt took place. The Istanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation into Sözcü’s owner Burak Akbay and several other employees.
 
Olgun was released following the prosecution's request to let her go. The Istanbul 5th Criminal Judgeship of Peace ruled for her release on the grounds of her health condition, family related issues and that she has a permanent residential address. The judgeship also said the stage the investigation has reached also played a role in its decision. Olgun was released under judicial control measures — which means she will have to check in with her local police station once a month — and with an international travel ban.
 
Olgun was arrested in May on charges of “committing a crime on behalf of the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), while not being a member of it.” “FETÖ” is the name used by Turkish authorities for the group allegedly behind the 15 July coup attempt.
 
Gökmen Ulu, the Izmir correspondent for Sözcü, still remains in prison as part of the same probe.
 
Evrensel writer Yusuf Karataş released from prison
 
Yusuf Karataş, a writer for the socialist Evrensel daily, was released on September 22. He had been in prison since July 27.
 
The Diyarbakır 9th High Criminal Court ruled for his release while reviewing an objection to the arrest warrant in place for the columnist, who was detained and later arrested in July as part of a “terror” investigation stemming from a police operation into the Democratic Society Congress (DTG), an umbrella network for pro-Kurdish civil society organizations.
 
The number of imprisoned journalists fell from 172 to 170 following releases of Olgun and Karataş. The full list can be viewed here.
 
 
Pro-government journalist detained
 
Ömer Turan, the founder and editor-in-chief of the openly pro-government Manşet24 website, was detained on Sept. 21 in relation with his news website’s reporting about National Intelligence Agency (MIT) Undersecretary Hakan Fidan.
 
Turan, a self-proclaimed “Reisçi”, or a supporter of President Eerdoğan, was released on September 22 in late evening.
 
The Fidan report seemed to suggest that the MIT head might have had links with the Fethullah Gülen network, a former ally of the Turkish government which was declared a public enemy after a massive corruption investigation into the government  in 2013.
 
Journalist Oktay Candemir given prison sentence over news reports
 
The Van 4th High Criminal Court handed down a prison term of one year and six months to journalist Oktay Candemir, convicting him for “terror propaganda” in four news reports produced by the journalist.
 
The journalist will not be serving in prison, as the court has handed down the prison term as a deferred sentence unless he violates terms of deferral.
 
Syrian journalist and mother killed in İstanbul
 
The lifeless bodies of a well-known Syrian opposition activist and her journalist daughter were found inside their Usküdar apartment on September 22.
 
Orouba Barakat (60), a journalist, filmmaker and activist was outspokenly critical of the Syrian regime. Her daughter Halla Barakat (23) was formerly a reporter for Alikhbaria TV, a news editor for the Orient and former editor at Turkish state channel TRT world.
 
Friends and family have said they suspect the Bashar Assad regime might be behind the murders.
 
Reports said Orouba Barakat was forced to spend most of her life in exile, and moved to Istanbul after residing in the UAE.
 
The police are still investigating the murder. The date of the murder is not yet known.
 
 
EFJ general secretary responds to Turkish diplomat
 
 
General Secretary of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) Ricardo Gutierrez tweeted a response on September 22 to Faruk Kaymakçı, the Turkish Ambassador to the EU, whose article claiming that none of the journalists in prison in Turkey were arrested in relation with their work was published on the EUobserver.
 
“Turkey's ambassador to EU is lying. I call on @euobs to publish the list of 158 journalists jailed in #Turkey,” he tweeted. According to P24, there are currently 170 imprisoned journalists in the country. .
 
 
Inan Kızılkaya sends a message from prison
 
Inan Kızılkaya, the responsible managing editor for the shuttered Ozgür Gündem daily, has responded to questions from to P24 in an interview published on our website in Turkish.
 
The journalist faces a total of 92 ongoing trials related to publications of Ozgür Gündem, which was shut down under a cabinet decree under Turkey’s State of Emergency rules.
 
Kızılkaya is liable for all of the newspaper’s “violations” of the law under Turkish law, which dictates that all media outlets should appoint a “responsible” managing editor, who bears legal liability for reports bearing no byline.
 
The journalist is imprisoned in relation with what is called the “main Özgür Gündem” trial. All of the other cases against him have been merged with this trial being heard by the İstanbul 23rd High Criminal Court.
 
Kızılkaya has been indicted on “membership of a terrorist organization.”
 
In the interview, Kızılkaya said he was keeping up his morale but finding it hard not to be able to “walk on soil”.
 
Here is an up-to-date list of all journalists that are reported to be in prison:
 
            Name, publication
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       Çağdaş Erdoğan, Photojournalist
35       Cebrail Parıltı, Anadolu Ajansı (AA) Derik reporter
36       Cemal Azmi Kalyoncu, Journalists and Writers’ Foundation
37       Ceren Taşkın, Hatay'ın Sesi
38       Cuma Kaya, Zaman
39       Cuma Ulus, Millet newspaper’s publications coordinator
40       Cüneyt Seza Özkan, Samanyolu TV
41       Deniz Yücel, Die Welt
42       Emin Demir, Freelancer
43       Emre Soncan, Zaman defense reporter
44       Ercan Gün, Fox TV
45       Erdal Süsem, Eylül magazine editor
46       Erdal Şen, former Meydan managing editor
47       Erdoğan Alayamut, Dihaber reporter
48       Erol Yüksel (TRT News Department vice president))
49       Erol Zavar, Odak magazine, owner and newsroom director
50       Fahrettin Kılıç, Özgür Toplum
51       Faruk Akkan, Cihan news agency
52       Ferhat Çiftçi, Azadiya Welat Gaziantep bureau chief
53       Fevzi Yazıcı
54       Gökçe Fırat Çulhaoğlu, Türksolu columnist
55       Gökmen Ulu, Sözcü
56       Gurbet Çakar, Hevi women’s magazine
57       Gültekin Avcı
58       Habip Güler, Zaman reporter
59       Hakan Aksel, TRT producer-director
60       Hakan Ergün, Azadiya Welat and Özgür Gündem distributor
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       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       İsmail Avcı, Zaman
80       İsmail Efe, local press advisor in İzmir
81       Kadri Gürsel, Editorial Advisor
82       Kamuran Sunbat, DİHA Çukurova reporter (formerly)
83       Kemal Özer, Evrensel
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       Mehmet Ali Ay
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       Mehmet Sıddık Damar
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     Muhsin Pilgir, Zaman and Cihan news agency
104     Murat Aksoy,former Yeni Şafak columnist
105     Murat Avcıoğlu, Zaman
106     Murat Çapan,
107     Murat Çelikkan (Özgür Gündem solidarity trial)
108     Murat Dağdeviren (Demokrat Gebze owner)
109     Murat Sabuncu, Editor-in- Chief
110     Mustafa Erkan Acar, Bugün news editor,
111     Mustafa Gök, Ankara bureau chief for Ekmek ve Adalet magazine
112     Mustafa Ünal, Zaman
113     Mutlu Çölgeçen, Millet, newsroom coordinator
114     Mutlu Özay, Cihan reporter
115     Mümtazer Türköne, Zaman columnist
116     Nadir Yücel, Çorum Yıldız (local) Editor-in-Chief
117     Nedim Türfent,DİHA
118     Nizamettin İzgi (Batman Newspaper’s owner)
119     Nur Ener, Yeni Asya
120     Nuri Durna, TRT
121     Nuri Yeşil, Azadiya Welat Dersim bureau chief
122     Nurullah Kaya, G.antep Zaman representative
123     Oğuz Usluer, Habertürk former broadcasts coordinator
124     Osman Yakut, Zaman Antalya
125     Ömer Çelik, DİHA news manager
126     Ömer Faruk Aydemir, İHA editor
127     Ömer Oruç, Cihan newspaper
128     Ömer Özdemir, Antalya eski Zaman muhabiri
129     Özcan Keser (TRT reporter)
130     Özkan Erdoğan, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi
131     Rabia Özkaya, Özgür Halk
132     Ramazan Alkan, Yeni Akit reporter
133     Resul Cengiz, Denizli reporter with Zaman
134     Sadık Demir – Radyo Karacadağ
135     Sait Gürka Tuzlu, Cihan reporter
136     Salih Erbekler – Radyo Karacadağ
137     Sami Tunca, Mücadele Birliği magazine Managing Editor
138     Selman Keleş, DİHA
139     Semiha Mete, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi reporter and distributor
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     Zafer Özsoy
169     Zehra Doğan, Jinha
170     Ziya Ataman, DİHA reporter