Turkey: Nazan Sala Faces Second Lawsuit On Bogus Terror Charges After Reporting On Military Violence In Van
Location: Turkey, Van
Date: November 27, 2021Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
A new lawsuit was filed against journalist Nazan Sala as a result of the investigation launched 12 years ago. Nazan was sued on the charge of being affiliated with a terrorist organization. The 12-year investigation, which was already concluded, against the journalist as a new lawsuit today. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) condemns the legal harassment against journalists. We consider these tactics to be a new method aiming to intimidate journalists. We demand the Turkish authorities acquit Nazan of all charges immediately. Journalism is not a crime.
A new lawsuit was filed against journalist Nazan Sala on the charge of ‘being a member of a terrorist organization’. Allegedly, the journalist was accused of being a reporter of a banned Kurdish TV channel, ROJ TV, in Turkey. ROJ TV was a Kurdish satellite TV channel based in Denmark and shut down after losing its license in 2013. It was banned in Turkey due to the alleged links TV had with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK).
The investigation which was launched against the newsroom in 2009, now confronted Nazan after 12 years of inquiry. Despite the investigation being closed earlier, the journalist was accused of being a member of a terrorist organization. A lawsuit was filed at the Van Chief Public Prosecutor's Office against Nazan, whose name was included in the report of the investigation initiated in Ankara against ROJ TV employees.
The indictment claimed that ROJ TV was the publication organ of the PKK-KCK and spread propaganda for the organization. Allegedly, Nazan was working as a reporter at ROJ TV in Van at that time and caused the aforementioned crime to be committed. According to the Mesopotamia Agency (MA), the indictment included the date of the crime as 2017, which corresponds to 2008. The prosecution demanded the case be merged with another case against five journalists, including Nazan Sala, who reported on military violence in Van. The Van’s court accepted the prosecutor’s request and decided to combine the two files that have a personal, legal, and factual connection.
On October 6, 2020, Jin news reporter Şehriban Abi and Nazan were detained during the raid at the Mesopotamia Agency’s Van office. Four days later, they were arrested for reporting about two Kurdish villagers named Servet Turgut and Osman Şiban, who was tortured and thrown from a national army helicopter. One of the victims of the torture, Servet Turgut, died from his injuries on September 30.
It was nearly six months later, on April 2, 2021, that the arrested journalists were released.
The CFWIJ extends solidarity with Nazan. We condemn the lawsuit brought against the journalist aiming to intimidate her after 12 years. Nazan is a journalist who has achieved good journalism with her coverage. We demand the Turkish authorities be acquitted of all charges against her. Journalism is not a crime.
The CFWIJ strongly condemns the police brutality against journalists. We demand the immediate return of the press cards seized from the security forces. Policies to intimidate journalists should be abandoned, and journalism should be practiced under the criteria of freedom of the press.
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