Turkey: CFWIJ Demands Jinnews Reporter Melike Aydin’s Acquittal Immediately
Location: Turkey, Izmir
Date: February 11, 2021Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
The third hearing of the trial against Jin news reporter Melike Aydın was held in Izmir today. Melike faces charges of "being a member of a terrorist organization". The prosecutor requested from the court that the evidence against Melike must be investigated and the secret witnesses heard. The court postponed the next hearing to June 8, 2021. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) reiterates that journalism is not a crime. We demand Melike and all other journalists, who are on trial, must be acquitted immediately.
The third hearing of the case against journalist Melike Aydın was held today at the Izmir 2nd High Criminal Court. The journalist is being tried for the phone calls she made with news sources and the book named "Purple Color of Kurdish Politics" which was seized as evidence during the police raid on her house. She is facing up to 15 years sentence in prison.
According to MLSA, Melike and her lawyer Şükran Öztürk were present at the hearing today. In her defence, Melike emphasized that the phone calls with the news sources she made were solely her journalistic activity. Stating that journalism cannot be considered a crime, the journalist demanded her acquittal from the court.
The prosecutor requested from court that the İzmir Police Department must investigate the evidence. Also, the prosecutor demanded that the anonymous witnesses in the case file must be heard.
Şükran Öztürk, the lawyer of the journalist, argued that these demands would not be of any legal benefit in the journalist’s trial. She requested the court to dismiss the prosecutor's demands. However, the court accepted the requests of the prosecution and postponed the next hearing to June 8, 2021.
On November 12, 2019, Jin news reporter Melike Aydın and Mesopotamia Agency (MA) reporter Ruken Demir were taken into custody, after their homes in Izmir were raided by Turkish authorities. The journalist was taken to the Provincial Security Directorate’s Anti-Terror branch and detained in handcuffs with an arrest warrant. All of her equipment, including her phone, was seized by the security forces. Both journalists were arrested on November 16, 2019, for “engaging in activities on behalf of a terrorist organization”. They were taken into custody for reporting about the Kaz Mountains and protests by the Çiğli Women's Platform, both of which were used against them as criminal evidence.
Melike’s lawyers filed an appeal to the court for the release of the journalist after the acceptance of the indictment, and the court ruled Melike’s release on January 30, 2020.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is closely monitoring the state of press freedom and treatment of women journalists in Turkey. We condemn all forms of restrictions on journalists, especially women journalists and urge the Turkish authorities to ensure that freedom of speech in the country is given its due space rather than suppressing those who are doing their job. We demand the acquittal of Melike Aydın and all journalists on trial.
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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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