Location: Turkey, Diyarbakir
Date: March 9, 2021

Available in: 🇹🇷  Türkçe

The 12th hearing of the trial against journalist Kibriye Evren was held today in Diyarbakır. The court ruled to decide the request of merging another lawsuit at Mersin until the next hearing. The next hearing will be held on June 24, 2021. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) considers the cases that were adjourned aiming to silence journalists. We believe these vicious practices overshadow press freedom. We demand Kibriye's acquittal immediately.

The 12th hearing of the trial against Jin News reporter Kibriye Evren was held at Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court today. Kibriye was tried due to her journalistic coverage and social media posts. The court requested the police to investigate the individuals whose names were mentioned in the case-file and ruled on the request to merge this case with another ongoing trial against Kibriye which is held in Mersin. The decision will be made between the hearings.

According to MLSA's report, the court asked the journalist to defend herself about the claim of "being a member of a terrorist organization" in Mersin to merge the case with this trial. Kibriye stated that the witness statements in the indictment were unfounded. Evren said that she did not know the witness. The journalist added that the claim against her about going to rural areas and met with members of the terrorist organisation was not true.

Resul Temur, the lawyer of the journalist, was also present at the hearing. Temur requested that the testimony samples of Gül Tanrıverdi, who made a statement about his client, be requested from the Ağrı Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. The lawyer also requested the court to join another case file against the journalist, which was filed in Mersin due to the press statements and marches he participated in between 2009-2012. The court postponed the next hearing to June 24, 2021, to complete the missing files in the case.

Kibriye Evren is facing up to 20 years sentence in prison over the charges of being a member of a terrorist organization and spreading terrorist propaganda due to her social media posts, travelling abroad and confidential witness statements. The journalist was arrested in Diyarbakır on October 9, 2018, and was released at the eighth hearing of the case filed against her. At the journalist's hearing on March 10, 2020, the judicial control requirement was lifted, but her travel ban remained.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the attempts to silence many women journalists through the judiciary in Turkey. We demand all journalists’ acquittal who faced groundless charges. Instead of judging journalists, we demand the Turkish state to allow them to work freely and to respect press freedom.

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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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