Turkey: CFWIJ Demands Turkey To End Legal Persecution Against Journalists Immediately
Location: Turkey, Izmir
Date: February 23, 2021Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
The fifth hearing of the trial against journalist Ruken Demir was held today in İzmir. The court lifted the journalist’s travel ban however, the trial was adjourned once again requesting to examine Ruken’s social media accounts. The next hearing will be held on June 8. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) reiterates once again that journalism is not a crime. We urge the authorities to end legal persecution against journalists and demand Ruken Demir’s immediate acquittal.
The fifth hearing of the trial against Mesopotamia Agency (MA) reporter Ruken Demir was held today at Izmir 19th High Criminal Court. The journalist, who was arrested on November 26, 2019, was released by the court's pending trial at the first hearing on March 6, 2020. Ruken was charged with being a member of an illegal organization due to her interviews.
In the hearing, the court lifted the travel ban and judicial control orders on Ruken. Also, the court decided to wait for the result of the cyber research report on the journalist’s social media accounts. The next hearing was postponed to June 8, 2021.
In the previous hearing, the court decided to continue the judicial control decision of Ruken Demir and rejected her request for acquittal. The journalist is still facing up to 15 years sentence in prison over the charges of being affiliated with an armed organisation.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism welcomes the lifted travel ban and judicial control orders on Ruken. However, we demand her charges to be dismissed and her immediate acquittal. We stand in solidarity with the journalists who are attempted to be silenced through the judiciary. We urge the authorities to end their intimidation policies against unjustly persecuted journalists. Journalism is not a crime.
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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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