Turkey: CFWIJ Demands The Compensation Case Against Journalist Çiğdem Toker To Dismiss Immediately
Location: Turkey, Istanbul
Date: February 18, 2021Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
The fifth hearing of the trial against Sözcü columnist Çiğdem Toker was postponed to a further date due to the judge’s administrative leave. Çiğdem is on trial with a claim of 80,000 TL for moral compensation. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) condemns the compensation cases against journalists with unrealistic amounts. We demand authorities to dismiss the case and acquit Çiğdem Toker.
The lawsuit was in retaliation to Çiğdem’s article in Sözcü Newspaper titled "Service to the Foundation from the İstanbul Municipality’s report", which revealed budgetary reports of the Istanbul Municipality. The fifth hearing of the case against the journalist was postponed due to the judge’s leave. The next hearing, which is expected to be heard at the Küçükçekmece 3rd Civil Court of First Instance, will be held at a later date.
According to the article, in the said report, the municipality provided a balance sheet of its cash and in-kind support up until the year 2018 to NGOs known to be close to the government and some of which are managed by the President’s relatives. Çiğdem Toker is being sued for 80 thousand Turkish Lira in compensation.
Following the publication of the article, on February 12th, 2019, T3 Foundation’s lawyers Abdullah Demircan and Serkan Kaya submitted a petition of complaint to İstanbul Küçükçekmece Civil Court of First Instance asking for a claim for their damages. The petition also remarked, “It is necessary to question the patriotism of the journalist who penned this article and the editors who published her article.”
During the last hearing, the founding manager of T3 foundation attended as a witness and in his statement, he said “T3 foundation has never accepted any donations from any entity before”. While rejecting the reliability of the statement as the founding manager is a party of the case and shall not be considered as a witness, Çiğdem Toker said that “she never made such claims but she only shared the documents of the Istanbul Municipality.”
The Coalition For Women In Journalism finds the compensation lawsuits brought against journalists a despicable means to intimidate the press. Journalists are obliged to inform the public and therefore, access to the news content they cover cannot be blocked. Journalists cannot be prosecuted for seeking the truth. We demand the authorities retract from the attempts to silence journalists through the judiciary.
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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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