Turkey: CFWIJ Condemns The Prison Sentence Of Beritan Canözer Over Social Media Activity
Location: Turkey, Diyarbakir
Date: June 18, 2020Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
Jinnews reporter Beritan Canözer was sentenced to 1 year 10 months 15 days of prison sentence over accusations of “making propaganda of terror organisation” through her social media accounts.
Jinnews reporter Beritan Canözer's third hearing was held in the Diyarbakır 11th High Criminal Court where she was charged with propagandizing an illegal organization.
Prosecution repeated its opinion and requested a prison sentence for Canözer.
Canözer's attorney Resul Tamur stated that the investigation was started without a suspicion of a crime, pointing out that his client was accused of 1 like and 4 comments which did not pose a crime. Stating that the comments and likes were not public and the prosecutor's office obtained the information with special efforts, he requested the acquittal of his client.
Court decided that the comments and one like indicated membership to an illegal organization and sentenced Canözer to 1 year 10 months and 15 days of prison.
Canözer was first jailed under the accusation that she was a member of a terror organization and was acting under the instructions of senior executives of the organization on December 19, 2015. The second hearing of the case took place on June 26, 2019 in Diyarbakır. The prosecutor asked that she be sentenced to seven-and-a-half to fifteen years in prison. The decision was delayed to October 2019 which she was later acquitted from the charges.
Read our statements on the incidents here and here.
We find it troubling that Turkish authorities want to put women journalists away for their social media activity. CFWIJ will be following for updates on the reasoned decision. We urge authorities to stop trying to silence the press through weaponization of laws.
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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.
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