Turkey: CFWIJ Welcomes The Release Of Imprisoned Journalists Şehriban Abi And Nazan Sala
Location: Turkey, Van
Date: April 2, 2021Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
The first hearing of the trial against the imprisoned journalists Şehriban Abi and Nazan Sala was held in Van today. The hearing started with restrictions against many journalists and NGOs who wanted to follow the case and ended with journalists’ release. The court ruled the release of all imprisoned journalists conditionally. The next hearing will be held on July 2, 2021. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) welcomes the court’s decision. However, we demand a similar decision to be set a precedent for all imprisoned journalists. Journalism is not a crime.
On October 6, 2020, journalists Şehriban and Nazan were detained during the raid at the Mesopotamia Agency’s Van office. Four days later, they were arrested for reporting about two Kurdish villagers named Servet Turgut and Osman Şiban, who were tortured and thrown from a national army helicopter. One of the victims of the torture, Servet Turgut, died from his injuries on September 30.
The indictment against journalists Şehriban and Nazan was completed on February 16, 2021, and officially accepted by the Van 5th High Criminal Court. The prosecutor requested a sentence of up to 15 years in prison on the charge of being members of an armed terrorist organization. Journalist Nazan Sala also faces up to 13 years in jail for accusations of spreading terrorist propaganda through the press.
The first hearing of the case was held Tat the Van 5th High Criminal Court today. The trial started with bans. Journalists and NGOs, who were wishing to follow the case, were not allowed into the courtroom. The limited number of journalists, who succeeded in entering the courtroom, were restricted by demanding to turn off their phones. Imprisoned journalists and their lawyers were present in the case.
SALA: I HAVE BEEN A JOURNALIST MORE THAN 15 YEARS, JOURNALISTICS SHOULD NOT BE RELATED TO THEIR OFFICIAL PRESS CARDS
According to MA, the trial started with the defence of journalist Nazan. Nazan protested that she was not counted as a journalist because she did not have press credentials, underlining she had been working for 15 years. Nazan said, “I had an official press card between 2010 and 2017. In 2017, my card was cancelled after the newspaper was closed with a statutory decree. After 2019’s local elections, I worked as a manager in the municipal press unit. Until a trustee is appointed. When I was dismissed from my job, I applied to the court. During this period, I tried to work as a freelance journalist. I worked for an agency that was legal and had reporters in many places. I won my case and got reinstated. Then I was imprisoned. If my workplace was to be raided, the municipality should have been raided."
Stating that she covered much news about the pandemic period so far, the journalist said that the news included in the indictment were deliberately selected. She also stated that ten newspapers she kept were considered among the evidence.
SALA: IF THE PRESS IS NOT FREE, NEITHER YOU ARE
Sala added that she faced serious health problems during her detention. She said, “I was able to continue my life through my inmates. There is an intervention against us journalists, especially Kurdish journalists.” Pointing the court board, “If the press is not free in a country, nobody will be, and neither you will. I want my release and acquittal,” she underlined.
ABI: IS IT A CRIME TO MAKE THE NEWS OF WOMEN AND CHILD ABUSE?
Imprisoned journalist, Şehriban Abi, stated that the news outlet she was working, is an official news agency. She asked the court how the stories about abuse of women and children could be counted as a criminal element. Stating that she was being tried on the charge of being affiliated with a terrorist organisation, Şehriban said that any evidence against her was not a crime. After the question of the court president about her notebook. She answered, "I am a journalist, in case my phone is lost or broken, I pass the numbers in my directory here". "I don't know who is a member of the organization, who is not, I don't know," she concluded.
Journalist Zeynep Durgut, also connected with SEGBİS from Şırnak, said the story she shared on TV on March 8, International Women's Day was considered as an element of crime in the indictment. Zeynep added, "The TV show I appeared, does not bother me. I am a journalist. What could be a crime in this country where hundreds of women are killed every day?” She requested her acquittal from the court.
The court continued with the attorney defence. After the defences, the court ordered the release of Şehriban Abi, Nazan Sala and other journalists on trial by imposing a judicial control condition and a travel ban. The second hearing of the case will be held on July 2, 2021.
CFWIJ has closely monitored the developments regarding the arrested journalists Şehriban Abi and Nazan Sala. We documented that the journalists were tortured and held in the male ward, facing deplorable conditions. The journalists endured malicious behaviour in prison, which violated human rights. During their 14-day quarantine, imposed as part of pandemic precautions, they were held in unhygienic conditions, their basic needs unmet. Despite the cold weather conditions in Van, the journalists were denied the necessities to stay warm. During their four-day detention, the journalists were not allowed to see their lawyers and were therefore unable to prepare their defence.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism welcomes our colleagues' release after 175 days, whereas, we demand their acquittal. As the coalition, we demand the Turkish state to put an end to its repression of journalists. Journalism is obliged to write facts. Journalists cannot be persecuted only because they contradict the interest relations of some authorities. No journalist can be unjustly imprisoned simply by showing the news they wrote as an element of a crime. We demand that the verdict in the case will set a precedent for other imprisoned journalists. Yet we reiterate once again: 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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