Turkey: Journalist Hülya Kılınç Was Arrested For Second Time
Location: Turkey, Manisa
Date: February 15, 2022Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
Journalist Hülya Kılınç was sent to prison as a result of the conviction over the report she revealed about intelligence officials. She was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison for disclosing the identity of a National Intelligence Organization (MIT) official. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) demands the immediate release of journalists arrested for doing their job. Journalism is not a crime.
Journalist Hülya Kılınç and her colleagues Murat Ağırel and Barış Pehlivan, who were tried and sentenced for disclosing the identity of a MİT member who died in Libya, were sent to prison on Tuesday (February 15).
The journalist was tried along with her colleagues Barış Pehlivan, Barış Terkoğlu, Murat Ağırel, Aydın Keser and Ferhat Çelik in the same case on the charge of ‘publishing, disseminating and disclosing information regarding the identities, duties, and activities of the members of the National Intelligence Organization and their families. Barış Terkoğlu, Aydın Keser and Mehmet Ferhat Çelik were released after a fourth month of detention. However, Hülya, Barış Pehlivan, and Murat Ağırel remained behind bars for six months for the report they covered about a funeral of an intelligence service officer. Although the prison sentence against Hülya was sent to the court of appeal, it was upheld two years later. The journalist was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison.
On Tuesday morning, the journalist was taken from her home by Manisa’s police officials and sent to prison.
Hülya has become the second female journalist who has been imprisoned since the beginning of 2022. In Turkey CFWIJ documented at least five women journalists who remain behind bars in total. The number of imprisoned journalists over their profession in the country has reached an extremely alarming level. The legal policies to intimidate journalists must end in the country. Journalists should be able to continue their profession freely following the criteria of press freedom.
The CFWIJ demands the immediate release of Hülya Kılınç and other journalists who remain behind bars. 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.
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