Turkey: Justice Arrived To Journalists Eylem Sonbahar And Sema Karakurt After Four Years Of Prosecution
Location: Turkey, Antalya
Date: February 16, 2022Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
The 13th hearing of the case against journalists Eylem Sonbahar and Sema Karakurt, on charges of “obstructing public duty” and “insulting” public officials at anti-G20 protests in 2015, was held at Antalya. The court acquitted journalists from all charges. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) welcomes the decision that should have been made a long time ago. We demand the same decision be ruled to other journalists who are prosecuted because of doing their job. The court’s decision once again proves that journalism is not a crime.
Eylem and Sema have been charged in connection with their coverage of the anti-G20 protests at the 2015 summit. The police arrested several peaceful protestors denouncing interventions in the Middle East by the United States and China’s treatment of Uyghurs, among other imperialist and pro-war policies. The journalists faced trial along with 15 other defendants charged with obstruction of public duty and insulting officials.
At the hearing on Tuesday (February 15), the defendants were represented by their lawyers. According to the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), which also represented the journalists with its legal team, the prosecutor repeated his submitted opinion in the previous hearing on January 11 and requested all defendants to be acquitted. Defendant lawyers also joined the prosecutor’s opinion and demanded an acquittal of their clients from the charges they faced.
The court acquitted all defendants ruling that the charges have not been defined as a crime in the criminal laws.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism welcomes the court’s decision. However, we demand the same verdict from other journalists who are on prolonged trial for their journalistic coverage. In 2022 so far the CFWIJ monitored and documented 23 different legal cases against women journalists. They have legally persecuted either the reports they covered or the criticism they made about the Turkish state. We reiterate that journalism is not a crime and demand Turkish authorities to end legal harassment against journalists.
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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