Location: Turkey, Istanbul
Date: March 10, 2021

Available in: 🇹🇷  Türkçe

The third hearing of the case against Habertürk columnist, Nagehan Alçı, was held today in İstanbul. The court ruled to give both parties time for their pleas after the prosecutor submits his opinion, and adjourned the case until March 31, 2021. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) follows this case intently. We demand a fair verdict of the case against Nagehan.

The third hearing of the case against columnist Nagehan Alçı was held today at the İstanbul 2nd Court of First Instance. The journalist is being sued for her article titled "Minister of Justice's reaction to that embarrassing decision" published in Habertürk in June 2018.

According to Press In Arrest, the prosecutor of the trial had changed. The new prosecutor requested to court that the case-file to draft his judicial opinion as to the accusations. The complainant Hikmet Çetinkaya, the judge, said that his complaint was still standing. The court ruled to give both parties time for their pleas after the prosecutor submits his opinion. The trial was adjourned until March 31, 2021.

In the article, Nagehan criticized the Judge of Istanbul Criminal Court of First Instance, Hakkı Yalçınkaya. She wrote that "Unfortunately, the judge-prosecutor mentality, which does not care about individual rights, still reigns in places”. Nagehan accused Judge Yalçınkaya of wrongfully convicting Hrant Dink and his son Arat Dink simply because they were Armenian, adding that the judge’s decision led to Hırant Dink’s death.

Two years after the article was published, Judge Yalçınkaya filed a complaint against Nagehan regarding the alleged insult. Yalçınkaya claimed the article was "insulting and libellous", stating that he was targeted by terrorist organizations as a result. Upon the end of the investigation, initiated by the complaint, a lawsuit was filed demanding Nagehan Alçı be sentenced between three months to two years in prison for “insulting via an audio, text or video message”.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism continues to monitor this case. We believe in freedom of the press, and we stress that it is unacceptable to persecute journalists solely for the content they cover and the articles they write.

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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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