Turkey: CFWIJ Welcomes Journalist Seyhan Avşar’s Acquittal
Location: Turkey, Istanbul
Date: March 16, 2021Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
The fifth hearing of the trial against journalist Seyhan Avşar was held today in İstanbul. Seyhan was tried for “identifying a public officer as a target for terrorist organizations”. The court decided Seyhan’s acquittal. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) welcomes the court verdict and demands similar decisions to all journalists who are on trial. We reiterate once again; Journalism is not a crime.
The verdict trial against Cumhuriyet Newspaper court reporter Seyhan Avşar was held today at the Istanbul 29th High Criminal Court. The court ruled the acquittal of the journalist over the charges of “identifying a public officer as a target for terrorist organizations''.
The Cumhuriyet newspaper published a news story in March 2019 titled 'Sözcü prosecutor has a criminal record' was written by Seyhan. The story took off the case of a prosecutor who was sentenced to 10 months in imprisonment and given a penalty fine due to malfeasance.
After the reporter’s news, The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation against her. She faced up to three years sentence in prison over charges of “identifying a public officer as a target for terrorist organizations”. However, her real crime was simply writing a story about a prosecutor with a criminal record.
Seyhan and her lawyer attended the trial today. In the hearing, Seyhan defended herself and demanded her acquittal from the court board. According to Press In Arrest, in her defence, she said, “The law makes no difference between a prosecutor and a citizen who is involved in crime. If you sentence me, this will create the perception that prosecutors are allowed to commit a crime but journalists cannot report the news". The panel of judges ruled that there was no evidence of the crime, and acquitted Seyhan Avşar and her colleague Necdet Önemli.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the criminalization of journalistic elements and the cases brought against journalists on unjust charges. Informing the public is a fundamental duty for journalists and sharing coverage on their social media accounts are not a crime and cannot be judged. We welcome the verdict of acquittal against journalist Seyhan Avşar and demand the same decisions should be given to all journalists on trial. 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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