18th July: One Day, Three Trials. A New Normal For Turkey’s Free Speech
Location: Turkey, Istanbul
Date: July 18, 2019Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
Three different trials have been held at three different courthouses across Turkey, making July 18 a critical day for free speech in the country.
Critics argue that the motivation behind these trials is to violate the freedom of speech of politicians, journalists and activists for the purpose of political maneuvering. The Coalition For Women In Journalism is following all these trials closely, with deep concern about how women journalists get affected by these long courthouse proceedings, including those who are not themselves on trial but feel affected by them, nonetheless.
One crucial trial today was a representative of the situation in which women journalists work in Turkey today, especially those working for the Kurdish or opposition media. Kibriye Evren, who is working for the pro-Kurdish news agency Jin News, is convicted of disseminating propaganda and supporting a terrorist organization through her tweets, retweets, journalistic acts and international travel routes. Anonymous witness statements, which are very popular nowadays regarding the cases journalists are facing, were also included in the indictment.
In an interview to CFWIJ on July 17, a day prior to the trial, Kibriye’s lawyer Pirozhan Karaali said that they expect the verdict of the court committee in this hearing, but today the hearing has been delayed to September 24.
CHP Istanbul’s provincial head Canan Kaftancıoğlu has been convicted of defaming Turkish president, spreading hatred in the society and disseminating propaganda and supporting a terrorist organization through her social media posts from 2011 to 2012. The second hearing of the trial was held today, early in the morning, at Istanbul Çağlayan Courthouse.
Many journalists, supporters, activists and human rights defenders participated in the hearing. In spite of the crowd, the demand of the lawyers for a bigger place to hold the hearing was declined by the judge. The prosecution requested that Kaftancıoğlu be found guilty and sentenced to a jail term. The defense team has asked the court not to reach a verdict until all evidence has been gathered for which the defense team requested additional time.
All requests of the defense were rejected and the trial was adjourned to September 6.Before leaving the courthouse, she addressed the press and stated, “Those (cases) are not coincidence, but a judicial engineering. AK Party designs politics through the judiciary.”
The last hearing which is taking place in Silivri, an outskirt district of Istanbul, is marking one of the historical protests in the history of modern Turkey — Gezi Park Protests. According to the 657-page indictment prepared for Gezi Park protests, Osman Kavala, a businessman and human rights defender who has been in prison since November 2017, and human rights defender Yiğit Aksakoğlu, who was imprisoned for eight months and released at the first hearing, journalist Can Dündar and actor Mehmet Ali Alabora including 16 more defendants are accused of attempting to eliminate the government of the Republic of Turkey. As a two-day long hearing, the verdict of the court committee is expected to be announced tomorrow.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism has been monitoring and following each case related to the freedom of speech in Turkey. Our main demand from the Turkish authorities is to regulate the judiciary system to ensure a new page in Turkey’s free speech and recognize journalists not as defenders of particular groups, but the truth itself.
For more information about any cases of abuse or obstruction of reporting for women journalists in Turkey or other parts of the world, please get in touch with us. ...
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world, and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
Follow us on Instagram @womeninjournalism and Twitter @CFWIJ. Our website is WomenInJournalism.org and we can be reached at press@womeninjournalism.org
The Coalition For Women In Journalism closely monitors the incidents in Turkey with great concern. Since March 8, Women's Day, police violence against women journalists increasingly continues in the country. As the coalition, we urge the Turkish state to provide a free environment for journalists. Following the news is our most fundamental democratic right to report. We demand the immediate release of our detained colleagues. Journalism is not a crime. Journalism cannot be prevented.
If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.