Location: Turkey, Kars
Date: April 8, 2021

Available in: 🇹🇷  Türkçe

The third hearing of the trial against Democrat-News editor Selda Manduz on the charge of being affiliated with an armed terrorist organization was held today. The court ruled the journalist’s acquittal. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) welcomes the decision. We find the verdict proved that journalism is not a crime. We demand the same decision to set a precedent for all journalists on trial

The third hearing of the trial against Democrat-News editor Selda Manduz was held today at Kars 2nd High Criminal Court. Selda was acquitted from all the charges she faced today by the court. Also, the prosecutor of the case requested her acquittal.

Journalist Seda Manduz was detained in a police raid on her home on October 1, 2020, within the scope of the investigation launched by the Kars Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. The journalist was transferred to the prosecutor's office on October 4, 2020, after her four days of detention. After her interrogation at the prosecutor's office, the court decided to release the journalist conditionally.

In the indictment, which was completed after the investigation, secret defendant statements and records of the journalist’s phone calls were indicated as evidence. Also, Selda’s phone calls with her colleagues were cited as a crime in the indictment. It was claimed that Manduz "committed a crime regarding the organic structure of the armed terrorist organization".

The journalist faced up to 15 years sentence in prison over the charges of being a member of an armed terrorist organization.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism welcomes the court's verdict against journalist Selda Manduz. We find that the outcome of the case in question proves that journalism is not a crime. We demand the ruling to set a precedent for all journalists prosecuted for their journalistic coverage. We urge the Turkish authorities to end the oppression and violence they inflict on journalists and demand our colleagues to be provided with environments where they can write freely do their job without being threatened. Journalism is not a crime.

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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