Turkey: CFWIJ Demands Journalist Yasemin Çongar’s Acquittal Immediately
Location: Turkey, Istanbul
Date: March 5, 2021Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
The 33rd hearing of the case where the executives of the closed Taraf newspaper including Yasemin Çongar was held yesterday. The court adjourned the trial for the 33rd time. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) condemns the attempts to intimidate journalists with cases that are constantly postponed. We demand all journalists acquittal immediately.
Former executives of the closed Taraf newspaper, Yasemin Çongar and Ahmet Altan, and its reporters Yıldıray Oğur and Mehmet Baransu, were tried on charges of "obtaining, disclosing and destroying information about the security of the state" over publishing the secret document called "Sovereign Operation Plan" which was belonged to the General Staff. The 33rd hearing of the case was held at the Istanbul 13th High Criminal Court yesterday. The court ruled to send the case-file to the prosecutor's office and postponed the hearing to June 2, 2021.
According to P24, Yasemin Çongar's lawyer Figen Albuga Çalıkuşu said that “Article 138 of the Constitution says, judges, decide with a conscientious opinion. When this trial began, none of you was on the delegation, including the prosecutor. The decision to be made by reading the file is not a conscientious opinion." "It will not be under the Constitution and the law for the prosecutor to take this file and give an opinion. Because the prosecutor also has no conscientious opinion. For this reason, we demand an extension to explain our case-file." she added.
The court rejected the lawyer's requests and decided to send the file to the prosecutor's office for the preparation of the opinion, citing the justification would not contribute to the case-file. The next hearing will be held on June 2, 2021.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism considers the long-standing trial is an aim at eroding the journalists. One of the most fundamental duties of journalism is to convey the issues that concern the public and cannot be judged. As the coalition, we call out to the Turkish authorities again; journalism is not a crime. Turkey must stop using the judiciary as a weapon against journalists to intimidate.
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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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