Turkey: CFWIJ Welcomes Judicial Dismissal Of Compensation Demanded From Journalists Pelin Ünker
Location: Turkey, Istanbul
Date: Demecber 23, 2020Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
The seventh hearing of the case against journalist Pelin Ünker was held on December 22, 2020 in İstanbul 21st Civil Court of First Instance. The decision to file a lawsuit against Pelin was prompted by the article on the off-shore accounts of former Finance and Treasury Minister Berat Albayrak and his brother Serhat Albayrak. The piece was published by Cumhuriyet newspaper.
Çalık Holding, which was owned by the former minister, demanded 10 thousand Turkish Lira compensation from Pelin. Eventually, the court dropped all of the charges. The Coalition For Women In Journalism welcomes the court’s verdict to dismiss the case, We however strongly believe that such a thing should not have happened in the first place as journalism is not a crime.
As a result of the hearing, the judge dismissed the compensation claim, stating the same decision of the Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance, where Pelin was tried for the article.
Pelin published the Paradise Papers documents obtained by the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper in Germany, simultaneously with international media outlets across the world, in Cumhuriyet newspaper for six days, starting on November 6, 2017.
The documents revealed the off-shore shady connections between politicians and businessmen around the world. Among the names that emerged were Berat Albayrak, the former Minister of Finance and Treasury in Turkey, and his brother Serhat Albayrak. When Berat Albayrak and his brother were in the management of Çalık Holding, they launched offshore companies in Malta in order to avoid taxes.
Once the scandal was leaked, numerous news outlets which released the story were blocked whereas journalists were sued for compensation. A criminal case was also filed against journalist Pelin Ünker regarding the same article. In the case held on March 28, 2019, at the Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance, the judge decided to drop the charges against the journalist.
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 to 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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