Turkey: No Relief For Rojda Oğuz, İsminaz Temel, Havva Cuştan In Cases Under Weaponized Terrorism Law

Location: Turkey
Date: October 12, 2021

Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe

Trials of Rojda Oğuz and İsminaz Temel and Havva Cuştan adjourned without proceedings on Tuesday. The three journalists have been charged with being members of a terrorist organization and with spreading “terror propaganda” in separate cases, where their journalistic activities have been cited as evidence against them. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) condemns the persistent legal persecution of journalists under Turkey’s terrorism laws. We are aware that the heavily-criticized legislation is frequently used by the state to target critical voices and suppress dissent. We extend solidarity to all Rojda, İsminaz and Havva, and demand that all fabricated charges against them are dropped immediately.

Indicted for “membership in a terrorist organization” and “terror propaganda”, Rojda stands trial among 55 defendants. On Monday Van 5th High Criminal Court adjourned the fourth hearing of the case till January 13, 2022. The parties were directed to eliminate all deficiencies in the case file.

Similarly, İstanbul 27th High Criminal Court adjourned the 13th hearing of the “membership in a terrorist organization” and “terrorist propaganda” case against Etkin News Agency (ETHA) editor İsminaz Temel, reporter Havva Cuştan and 21 other defendants. The court allowed for judicial control measures imposed on İsminaz and Havva till the next hearing slated for February 15, 2022.

CFWIJ denounces the repeated delays in the two cases. Forcing journalists to repeatedly appear before the courts to defend baseless charges has become a common tactic to pressurize and intimidate journalists into silence in Turkey. We have been closely monitoring these trials. 

Rojda was detained on January 8, 2016, on accusations of participating in protest marches. She was charged with being actively involved in marches arranged by Van Yüzüncü Yıl University students on different days. Her participation in student protests against Roboski and Halabja riots in 2014 and 2015 was called into question. The evidence presented against her includes press statements and her social media posts. She was earlier detained for four months in connection with this case. The charges against Rojda also include a letter by the General Directorate of Press, Broadcasting and Information - formerly affiliated with the prime minister’s office - stating that its records do not show Rojda as having been issued a press card. Her press card from the organization, where she worked earlier, was not accepted by the court. 

CFWIJ is cognizant that the “press card” is frequently denied to journalists critical of the government and is regularly used to encroach upon press freedoms. We demand an end to legal harassment of journalists. 

Rojda’s lawyer Hüseyin Boğatekin appeared before the court on her behalf. The defence presented their arguments to the court. After the trial hearing the court order to correct the deficiencies in the case file until the next arraignment. Further hearing was postponed till next January. 

Rojda faces a prison sentence of up to seven years on the above-mentioned charges. Her social media posts, witness testimonies and the demonstrations in which she participated, are all being treated as criminal offences in the lawsuit against her. 

The CFWIJ stands in solidarity with Rojda and urges judicial authorities to drop all baseless charges against her. 

Meanwhile, embroiled in a similar case, where press conferences and events the journalists followed have been cited as evidence against them, ETHA editor İsminaz Temel and reporter Havva Cuştan face upto 20 years in prison. İstanbul 27th High Criminal Court adjourned the 13th hearing on Monday, holding judicial controls, including the travel bans, imposed on the two journalists in place. 

İsminaz and Havva were arrested and imprisoned on October 25, 2017, following a raid on their houses on October 19, 2017. The journalists were charged with being a member of and spreading propaganda for the outlawed Marxist-Leninist Communist Party (MLKP). The evidence submitted against them included their journalistic activities, funerals they attended and social media posts they shared. İsminaz and Havva were released on July 18, 2018, and February 14, 2019, respectively, with judicial control mechanisms and travel bans imposed on them.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism reiterates that journalism is not a crime. Turkey must put an end to legal persecution of journalists. Such moves seriously encroach upon the freedom of the press and undermine rights granted in a free democracy. CFWIJ demands all fabricated charges against journalists be dropped immediately.

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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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