Turkey: Journalist Ayşegül Doğan Is Charged With “Forming And Managing A Terror Organization” Due To Her News Story
Location: Turkey, Diyarbakir
Date: December 25, 2019Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
Host of “Gündem Müzakere” program of the now shutdown IMC News channel Ayşegül Doğan is charged with "establishing and leading an armed organization," due to her interview with “Democratic Society Congress” members.
Ayşegül is a brilliant foreign policy expert who studied abroad with a scholarship. The indictment against journalist Ayşegül Doğan was completed by Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office on May 23, 2018.
The indictment claimed that Democratic Society Congress (DTK) “Was the 3rd leg of Abdullah Öcalan’s four-leg-paradigm and functioned as a so-called founding parliament”. It was claimed that DTK “was founded by the orders of Abdullah Öcalan, to realise the strategy of democratic autonomy”. Notes she took regarding the interviews she made with Öcalan’s attorneys were lined to support these accusations.
A phone call dated July 15, 2011 which was obtained without due process was also cited as evidence, where Ayşegül said to a person called G., “that the news regarding Abdullah Öcalan’s situation must be formulated carefully”. On another phone call, dated May 8, 2012, Ayşegül “was invited to the meeting called ’Democratic Autonomy Workshop’ organised by DTK, as a moderator” and that it meant she was a permanent parliamentary member of DTK and had worked at different commissions of DTK. The indictment accused her of “establishing or managing an armed terror organisation” according to the article 314/1 of the Turkish Penal Code and article 5 of the Anti-Terror Law. She is facing 15 years to 22 years and 6 months of imprisonment.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism stands behind Ayşegül and her fair reporting. Legal harassment of journalists through weaponization of the law should no longer be used by the Turkish authorities while the government and the public wish to join the European Union with firm stance concerning fundamental rights.
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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.
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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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