Turkey: CFWIJ Welcomes Journalist Derya Okatan’s Acquittal
Location: Turkey, Istanbul
Date: May 31, 2022Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
The seventh hearing of the trial against journalist Derya Okatan for the "insult" charges was held in İstanbul. The court agreed with the prosecution's request and acquitted the journalist on accounts of press freedom. The Coalition For Women In Journalism welcomes the court verdict and calls on the Turkish judiciary to set this decision as a precedent for the trials of other journalists. We demand all the journalists who are facing legal persecution be acquitted immediately. Journalism is not a crime.
The seventh hearing of the case with the allegation of "public insult" against journalist Derya Okatan was held in İstanbul 39th Criminal Court of First Instance. Lawyer Mehmet Ali Koç represented Derya in the courtroom. At the hearing, the prosecutor repeated his argument about Derya and requested an acquittal of Derya on accounts of press freedom.
According to the Media and Law Studies Association’s (MLSA) Eylem Sonbahar, Mehmet Ali Koç took the floor and presented his defense. He said, “The lawyer's allegation of sexual harassment was newsworthy. The news coverage against this claim was being conveyed to the public as it is and did not include any comment. I demand that it be considered on accounts of press freedom and that my client be acquitted.”
In the previous hearing on July 6, 2021, the prosecutor of the trial, Emre Karaman was also requested an acquittal of Derya on accounts of press freedom. The prosecutor also included that the alleged crime has not been proven against the journalist.
Derya faced charges over the news entitled "Mersin Women's Platform: We are exposing the harassing lawyer Onur Kale". The journalist was the managing editor of the Etkin News Agency (ETHA) by the time the story was published on the website of the news outlet. In the news aired on May 1, 2016, it was alleged that lawyer Onur Kale sexually harassed eight women from Mersin Women's Platform, who were detained in Mersin. Following the news, an investigation was launched against Derya upon the complaint that the lawyer filed. The prosecutor dismissed the investigation at that time. However, Derya Okatan was sued as a result of the objection.
In the indictment, the journalist was accused of "containing a concrete assertion of an act that would offend the honor and dignity" and Derya was facing up to two years sentence in prison for "public insult".
The case is not the only case in which Okatan was tried. The journalist is being prosecuted on charges of spreading propaganda for a terrorist organization and blocking, disrupting the information system, and destroying or changing data among six journalists who covered the emails allegedly belonging to former Finance Minister Berat Albayrak. Derya faced up to an 11 years sentence in prison in this case. Eventually, the journalist was acquitted of all the charges.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism demands the trial set a precedent for other cases. We expect the same decision for all journalists who are on trial with unfair charges solely for doing their job.
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.
If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.