Turkey: Authorities Should End Legal Harassment Against Women Journalists - Hazal Ocak Should Be Acquitted.
Location: Turkey, Istanbul
Date: June 17, 2021Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
The hearing of the case against Hazal Ocak concerning her news piece “Son-in-law knows his way” was held today. The case was filed upon the complaint of the then Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak. The next hearing postponed to October 14, 2021.
A claim for damages was filed against her over her article “son-in-law knows his way” published in Cumhuriyet Daily on January 20, 2020. The article was about President Tayyip Erdoğan’s son-in-law and Minister of Finance and Treasury Berat Albayrak and the purchase of land he made on the route of the “Kanal Istanbul” project. The lawsuit was filed against the journalist for non-pecuniary damage of 200 thousand TL.
In October 2020, another lawsuit filed against the journalist for the same news report and Hazal Ocak was acquitted from all charges. She was accused of “publicly insulting a public officer due to the performance of his public duty through an audio, text or visual message”. She was requested to be sentenced to, from one year two months to two years four months of imprisonment.
In today’s hearing, the attorney for the plaintiff was not present by making an excuse. The court adjourned next hearing to October 14, 2021, to wait for the finalization of the other court case in which Ocak was acquitted.
This is not the first time Hazal Ocak faced a financial compensation case. Last year, a lawsuit was filed against the journalist in October 2019 on behalf of Cengiz Holdings over allegations of defamation. The trial was in retaliation to Hazal’s article in Cumhuriyet Newspaper titled “Luxury fixture with a view of the Bosphorus”, which revealed an illegal construction project of Cengiz Holding and its chairman Mehmet Cengiz. Hazal faced a fine of 1 million Turkish Liras for reputational damage. The court also dismissed all charges against the journalist on January 26, 2021, and Hazal was acquitted.
Hazal has been targeted with various defamation lawsuits for the past two years, mainly due to her reporting on corruption issues. She was sued for one million Turkish Lira in non-pecuniary damages for her story concerning constructions made at the historical Hüseyin Avni Pasha Grove. Reports showed that a ban on zoning was lifted after the mansion was purchased by Mehmet. The pro-government businessman Mehmet Cengiz then sued the journalist claiming that the news story tarnished his reputation. The case was dismissed by the court decision.
CFWIJ urges authorities to end legal harassment against women journalists in Turkey. None of the reporters can be punished just because of doing investigative journalism. They should be acquitted immediately. Journalism is not a crime.
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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