Türkiye: Acquittal and Travel Ban Lift in Trials Against 2 Women Journalists
CFWIJ welcomes the court’s decisions but urges the government to cease its systematic legal harassment of journalists
Location: Turkey, Ankara, Istanbul
Date: June 8, 2023Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
In two separate trials against women journalists today, the courts ruled in favor of the accused. Sendika.org correspondent Derya Saadet was acquitted of a terrorism-related charge filed against her for a retweet. Documentary filmmaker Sibel Tekin, accused of “being a member of an armed terrorist organization,” had her travel ban lifted. Although the courts’ decisions are a step in the right direction, CFWIJ continuously monitors the increased legal harassment against journalists in Turkey and urges the authorities to stop silencing the free press.
Part of a case against 37 people, Saadet — who was charged on Nov 26, 2022 — was acquitted in the second hearing due to the “absence of criminal facts.” Journalists Rabia Çetin and Nazlan Ertan were acquitted of the same crime in the first hearing. All were accused on terrorism charges for retweeting the same tweet.
The tweet in question accused a prosecutor of not effectively conducting an investigation into the murder of Deniz Poyraz, a member of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP). The tweet also implied the prosecutor obscured evidence favoring the “real murderers.”
Speaking to CFWIJ, Saadet says freedom of expression is being prosecuted unlawfully in Turkey.
“The government can’t silence journalists by legally harassing us,” she says. “As a journalist, I will continue advocating for the rights of women and LGBTI+ people and uphold the truth.”
Sibel Tekin undergoing a trial for reasons that are not entirely clear
Documentary filmmaker Sibel Tekin was on trial for terrorism-related charges in Ankara on June 8. During the second hearing, the court agreed with the request of Tekin’s lawyer to lift her travel ban.
Tekin was detained on December 17, 2022, while making a documentary about the negative impacts of daylight saving time on society. She was imprisoned for 43 days.
Speaking to CFWIJ, Tekin says she is happy she can now attend a film festival in Bulgaria for which she was selected as a jury member.
"The government helped me overcome the concerns and fears by imprisoning me, and in a way, they freed me," the journalist says, referring to her now even more increased conviction of the need for independent reporting.
CFWIJ strongly opposes the baseless and unjustified trials against journalists. While we welcome the courts’ decisions today, we would like to remind the government that there are still 14 women journalists behind bars, while a constant threat of detention looms over other journalists’ heads for doing their job. We urge the government to uphold the fundamental right of freedom of expression — which is fundamental in healthy democracies and cease the continuous intimidation of journalists across the country.
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.
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