Turkey: CFWIJ Demands Immediate Acquittal Of 17 Women Media Workers On Trial More Than Nine Years
Location: Turkey, Istanbul
Time: June 22, 2021Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
The trial, known as the "KCK Press Case", in which 17 women journalists and media workers were tried for nine years on charges of being affiliated with a terrorist organization and establishing and leading an armed terrorist organization was postponed for the 22nd time. The court adjourned the next hearing to November 23 2021, ruling that the missing elements should be completed. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) denounces the unjust case, which was postponed over nine years for various excuses. We demand the acquittal of journalists immediately.
The 22nd hearing of the trial in which 46 journalists and media workers, 17 of whom are women, working in various press organizations of the Kurdish media was held at the 3rd Istanbul High Criminal Court today. The journalists were tried on charges of being a member of an armed terrorist organization as well as establishing or leading the organisation. The court board ruled to complete the missing elements of the case file and postponed the next hearing to November 23, 2021. The lawsuit, which was filed in 2012, has been ongoing for nine years. If convicted, journalists are facing a prison sentence ranging from seven years to 22 years.
The names of the 17 women journalists and media workers on trial are Yüksel Genç, Nevin Erdemir, Semiha Alankuş, Sibel Güler, Zuhal Tekiner, Dilek Demiral, Nahide Ermiş, Nilgün Yıldız, Çiğdem Aslan, Ayşe Oyman, Fatma Koçak, Pervin Yerlikaya Babir, Zeynep Kuray, Eylem Sürmeli, Sultan Güneş Ünsal, Evrim Kepenek, Arzu Demir.
In the operation against Dicle News Agency, Özgür Gündem and Azadiya Welat newspapers, Democratic Modernity magazine and Fırat Distribution in December 2011, 46 journalists and media workers were detained and 32 of them were sent behind bars.
Many journalistic activities, including interviews, photographs, press releases, journalists' notes, conversations with news sources, and the names of news sources on their phones, were considered as criminal elements in the indictment. While 17 of the 32 detainees were released during the two-year trial, the remaining detainees could only be released after the Specially Authorized Courts (ÖYM) were abolished. Journalists, who applied to the Constitutional Court (AYM) for the annulment of the case after the closure of ÖYMs, continued in the local court without recognising the result of the Constitutional Court.
Although there are currently no journalists under arrest regarding this case, the prosecutor's office has not yet submitted its opinion to the court in the nine-year-long investigation. The next hearing will be held on November 23, 2021.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism considers the trials that have been held on for many years and that are constantly postponed are a new method used to intimidate journalists. The main responsibility of journalists is to follow the news about developments that interest the public. None of the journalists can be prosecuted for solely doing their job. As the coalition, we demand justice and the immediate acquittal of the 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.
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