Turkey: Gülşen Koçuk Convicted On Terror Charges, Sentenced To Jail For 2016 Social Media Posts
Location: Turkey, Diyarbakır
Date: December 7, 2021Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
Jin News reporter Gülşen Koçuk was sentenced to one year, 10 months and 15 days in prison on Wednesday. The 9th High Criminal Court of Diyarbakır took up the first hearing of Gülşen’s trial on fabricated terror charges based on her 2016 social media posts. After a brief hearing, the court handed the journalist a jail term while reserving the detailed verdict for a later date. The Coalition For Women In Journalism denounces the court’s decision and calls for its immediate annulment. We call on Turkey to quit weaponizing its anti-terror laws to gag journalists.
In social media posts made in 2016, Gülşen had criticized false reports published by the Turkish state-run news organization Anadolu Agency, which has faced criticism for its pro-government editorial policies. The Jin News reporter also shared on social media developments of the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in the Syrian city of Manbij. These posts were dubbed criminal and formed the basis of the “making propaganda for a terrorist organization” charges against the journalist.
At the hearing on Wednesday, December 8, 2021, Gülşen appeared before the court along with her lawyer Resul Temur. The journalist denied all charges against her. She repeated before the court what she had told investigators earlier and explained that she reported on ISIS’s seizure of Manbij as her journalistic duty. She also clarified that her post concerning Anadolu Agency was ironic and intended to counter misinformation.
The prosecutor, however, contended that Gülşen’s posts defended the methods of force, threat and violence employed by the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the People’s Defense Unit (YPG). The prosecution moved the court to convict the journalist on charges of making terror propaganda.
At this, the defense counsel argued that Gülşen’s posts regarding Syria did not fall under any crime that the prosecution was accusing her of. The journalist was reporting on developments in a conflict ridden city as is her journalistic duty, maintained Temur. The counsel further added that Gülşen used humorous language to counter misinformation posted by Anadolu Agency. Temur contended that no social media post of the journalist contained any criminal element. He pleaded for Gülşen’s acquittal.
After the completion of arguments by the counsels, the court sentenced Gülşen to one year, 10 months and 15 days in prison. The court convicted the journalist of making terrorist propaganda. The detailed verdict is yet awaited.
Speaking to the CFWIJ after the hearing, Gülşen regretted the conditions under which journalists were operating in Turkey. “It is clear that we are living through an era where women, journalists and members of the opposition are punished but perpetrators [of crime] are not.” She pointed out that the social media posts the prosecution presented as evidence against her were from five years ago. The government and the judiciary want journalists to remain silent and submissive but this cannot be, said the journalist. “Even thinking or sharing stories is seen as dangerous in this country. But real journalism is not silent. We will continue to do our jobs as we have done in the past.”
The Coalition For Women In Journalism denounces the Diyarbakır court’s ruling. We stand in solidarity with Gülşen Koçuk and extend our support as she plans to approach the higher courts for a repeal. We are deeply concerned over the increasingly restricted space for independent and free media in Turkey. The CFWIJ has repeatedly highlighted the weaponization of the country’s anti-terror laws against critical journalists and calls on the Turkish authorities to end legal harassment of journalists. We reiterate, journalism is not a crime and cannot be treated as such in any true democracy.
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.
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