Turkey: Prosecutors Want Journalist Beritan Canözer Behind Bars For Her Tweets
Location: Turkey, Diyarbakir
Date: January 28, 2020Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
We find it troubling that Turkish authorities want to put women journalists away for their social media activity. The prosecution has asked for a prison sentence against Beritan Canözer for “making propaganda for a terrorist organization” on social media.
We strongly condemn the trial our colleague has been facing and urge the Turkish authorities to stop harassing Beritan using legal tactics.
The second hearing of the lawsuit filed against Beritan was held on January 27, where she and her lawyer Resul Temur were present. She denied the accusations against her and noted that some of the posts being used as evidence against Beritan do not even belong to her.
Beritan was not even shown the supposed ‘evidence’ against her.
When speaking at the hearing she said “Only my own photos were shown to me. I have accepted that the photographs belong to me. However, I do not accept any social media posts which were added to the file as evidence. I have never shared them. My social media accounts were out of use at the time of this investigation.”
Her lawyer, Resul Tamur, asked for additional time in the case. The court adjourned the next hearing till March 25, 2020.
We urge the authorities to stop this practice of using social media posts as evidence of a crime. That such evidence is being used to push for a prison sentence is a dangerous practice and should be condemned.
Laws meant to protect should not be used to attack - we hope that Beritan and other women journalists will be allowed to go free soon, and that press freedom will prevail.
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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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