Turkey: Journalist Reyhan Capan Appeared In Court For The 20th Time, Trial Adjourned Once Again – CFWIJ Condemns The Legal Harassment
Location: Turkey, Istanbul
Date: June 22, 2021Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
The trial against Özgür Gündem newspaper’s former editor, Reyhan Çapan was adjourned for the 20th time. Today the court ruled to eliminate the missing elements of the case file and postponed the next hearing to November 3, 2021. The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the attempts to intimidate journalists with the unjust trials that are constantly postponed. We demand the acquittal of Reyhan and other journalists immediately. Journalism is not a crime.
Özgür Gündem’s editor-in-chief, Reyhan Çapan, its co-editor-in-chief, Hüseyin Aykol, Hasan Başak and some of its reporters were sued for articles published in the paper. The Özgür Gündem reporters have been accused of insulting the president and spreading propaganda for a terrorist organization over the article entitled “The palace gone insane” in September 2015. If it is convicted Reyhan will be sentenced to ten years in prison over the terror charges.
Özgür Gündem was shut down by the Turkish government in August 2016.
In the hearing today, the court ruled that the missing elements should be eliminated and postponed the next hearing to November 3, 2021.
Previously, the court ruled to wait for the execution of arrest warrants issued for the defendants Kemal Yakut and Hasan Başak. The court also ordered their initial testimonies to be taken and had not yet made an interlocutory order. The trial was adjourned today.
The CFWIJ documented 60 separate case files against women journalists since the beginning of 2021. The lawsuits were filed about the journalists’ coverage, the press statements they covered and the posts they shared on social media. As the coalition, we continue to follow the developments regarding the journalists who are wrongfully tried by the judiciary with great concern.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the ongoing postponement of trials against journalists and demands the policies of intimidation implemented through the judiciary to be abandoned in Turkey. We emphasize that no one should be prosecuted for their journalistic activities, and we reiterate once again journalism is not a crime. We demand the immediate acquittal of all journalists on trial.
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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