Location: Turkey, Istanbul
Date: March 9, 2021

Available in: 🇹🇷  Türkçe

The third hearing of the trial against journalist Sadiye Eser was held in Istanbul today. The court adjourned the trial again. The next hearing will be held on June 8, 2021. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) condemns the postponement of trials against journalists with the aim of intimidating journalists. We demand Sadiye’s acquittal immediately.

The third hearing of the trial in which former MA reporter Sadiye Eser was tried on the charge of "being a member of an armed terrorist organization" was held today at the Istanbul 22nd High Criminal Court. Sadiye attended the hearing with her lawyer. The trial against journalist Sadiye Eser as well as MA reporter Sadık Topaloğlu was postponed once again on June 8, 2021. Journalists are facing up to 15 years sentences in prison on terrorism charges.

Sadiye Eser was detained after leaving the MA’s office on November 29, 2019, and was arrested on December 2, 2019, over a charge of being a member of an armed terrorist organization", but was released conditionally at the first hearing which was held on March 26, 2020.

In the indictment of the case, Sadiye Eser's travels abroad were cited as evidence, her resistance to inform the police about the password of her mobile phone which was seized by the police during her detention was accepted as "organizational behaviour". Also, Kurdish songs in the journalist's MP3 player were counted among the evidence in the indictment.

In the previous hearing, the court ruled to lift the judicial control of the journalist and to return the digital materials belonging to her.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism closely monitors the court cases filed against women journalists in Turkey. We have been following 40 different cases against women journalists with great concern since the beginning of 2021. Journalists are unfairly prosecuted on terrorism charges on the grounds of their social media posts or the news they wrote. As the coalition, we reiterate that journalism is not a crime, and we demand the Turkish authorities to put an end to legal persecution to intimidate the journalists.

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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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