Turkey: Journalist Necla Demir Is Acquitted From Charges Of “insulting The President”
Location: Turkey, Istanbul
Date: October 28, 2020Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
Journalist Necla Demir, who was facing charges of “insulting the President”, is acquitted today on the second hearing of the case at İstanbul Bakırköy Eighth Criminal Court of First Instance.
A verdict was filed in the lawsuit against Necla Demir with the charges of “insulting the President” for two news stories published on Gazete Karınca's website in October 2016. At the hearing, the prosecution demanded Demir’s acquittal on the ground that the imputed crime's elements have not been constituted in the news stories.
An investigation was launched towards Necla with the allegation of "publicly inciting hatred" upon an anonymous notice. In the denunciation, some news stories from Gazete Karınca were claimed that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was insulted. In the indictment, which was prepared after the investigation, the evidence presented against Necla included her news stories titles such, “From Wikileaks Documents: Erdoğan Drags the country into civil war” and “Redhack Members speak up: why did they hack Albayrak?”. In her defence, Necla rejected all accusations and the court has acquitted journalist Necla Demir stating that there was no evidence of a crime.
Necla faced various accusations by her news stories before as this court was not her first one. She was charged with "repeatedly propagandizing for a terrorist organization" due to the news and interviews published during Turkey's military operation into Syria's Afrin.
The Coalition for Women in Journalism welcomes the court’s decision and especially the remarks by the prosecutor which should be used as a precedent in similar cases. Many women journalists still come across defamation lawsuits to intimidate their works in order to inform the public and abuse of power. We believe these cases cast suspicion on press freedom and journalists cannot be silent.
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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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