Turkey: CFWIJ Condemns The Baseless Terror Charges Against Journalist Nurcan Yalçin
Location: Turkey, Diyarbakir
Date: June 9, 2021Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
Journalist Nurcan Yalçın faces charges of being affiliated with a terrorist organization and spreading terrorist propaganda. The trial's fourth hearing was held in Diyarbakır today. The court ordered the Security Directorate’s Anti-Terror Branch to investigate whether Jin News Agency, where Nurcan works, has connections to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The next hearing will be held on September 29, 2021.
The shreds of evidence brought against Nurcan Yalçın’s lawsuit include a secret witness statement from an individual claiming to be a senior officer of the Rosa Women’s Association. The statement is supposedly supported by a membership certificate and social media posts. The journalist did not appear in court, her lawyer Resul Temur representing her instead.
Since the primary prosecutor was on leave, an alternate prosecutor attended the hearing held today. The prosecutor requested the file be entrusted to him to draft his opinion on the merits. Nurcan’s lawyer stated they would prepare their defence after the presentation of the opinion on the merits.
Despite Nurcan attesting she is not a Jin News reporter, the court requested the Anti-Terrorism Branch (TEM) confirm if Jin News is affiliated with the PKK and the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK). In the indictment, Nurcan faces a prison sentence of up to 20 years if she is convicted.
After receiving a reply to the letter they requested, the court referred the file to the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office for an opinion on the merits if there was no further investigation regarding the case. The next hearing will be held on September 29, 2021.
Another indictment against the journalist was drafted by the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in April 2021. The lawsuit was accepted by the Mardin Criminal Court of First Instance on November 19, 2020, over a year after the incident in question. The successive lawsuit highlighted the 30-day action and demonstration ban the Mardin governorate enacted following the widely disputed decision to appoint trustees to the municipality. Consequently, the anti-trustee demonstrations were technically unlawful.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the persistent legal harassment against women journalists. Journalists must not be persecuted or intimidated for their reporting. We call on the Turkish authorities to respect press freedom and ensure a safe working environment for journalists.
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.