Location: Turkey, Istanbul
Date: February 22, 2022

Available in: 🇹🇷  Türkçe

The eighth hearing of the case against journalist Sedef Kabaş and 38 people for “defying law on the capital market” and “attempting to destabilize the economy” was held on Tuesday (February 22). Sedef could not appear to defend herself at today's hearing as she has been imprisoned for more than a month. The court ruled to send the case file to the prosecution for finalizing his argument about his opinion and adjourned the next hearing to April 27, 2022. 

The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) denounces the prolonged trials aiming to intimidate the journalists. We demand Turkish authorities to release Sedef immediately and allow her to defend herself. We reiterate that journalism is not a crime. All journalists must be acquitted of all charges they face. 

The eighth hearing of the case against 38 people, including journalists Sedef Kabaş and Merdan Yanardağ, Mustafa Sönmez, Bloomberg economy reporters Fercan Yalınkılıç and Kerim Karakaya, was held at the Istanbul 3rd Criminal Court of First Instance. The journalists are accused of attempting an economic coup over a report published at Bloomberg in 2018. 

The report was revealed on August 10, 2018, entitled “Turkish bank crisis prompts emergency meeting on Saturday” by finance reporters Fercan Yalınkılıç and Kerim Karakaya in Bloomberg. Turkish lira’s depreciation towards the dollar was brought to the agenda with the report. The report stated that after the rise in the dollar, banks did not meet their foreign exchange demands. It was declared that those who demand foreign currency can do so for the next business day, and the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency, known as BDDK, will hold an urgent meeting with the top executives of the banks at the weekend.

Following the news, the BDDK filed a lawsuit against the reporters who wrote the news and 38 people who shared it from their Twitter accounts. The reporters and other defendants were accused of "undermining the stability of Turkey's economy" in the indictment. Six journalists, including Sedef Kabaş, face two to five years sentences in prison on charges of "violating the Capital Law". 

On Tuesday (February 22), defendant Sedef Kabaş could not appear in court for being imprisoned for more than one month. The Capital Markets Board (SPK), the BDDK lawyers, and defendants’ lawyers represented their clients in the courtroom. According to ANKA News, the BDDK and SPK lawyers requested that all the accused be punished. The defendants and their lawyers demanded their clients’ acquittal, on the other hand. They said their clients did not pursue material interests and therefore the moral elements of the accusation against them did not occur. In addition, the lawyers of the defendants stated that the file was dragged on because there were five defendants whose defense could not be taken in the case. The lawyers demanded that the file be separated in terms of these defendants.

The court accepted the request and decided to separate the files against the five defendants and to send the case file to the prosecution to finalize his argument of the case. 

The Coalition For Women In Journalism demands the Turkish authorities respect press freedom. All the charges must be dropped immediately. Journalism is not a crime.

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.

If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.