Turkey: İstanbul Prosecutor Asks Court To Acquit Journalist Sedef Kabaş And Others Over The Accusation Of Attempting Economic Coup With Her Coverage
Location: Turkey, Istanbul
Date: April 27, 2022Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
The ninth hearing of the case against journalist Sedef Kabaş and 38 people for “defying law on the capital market” and “attempting to destabilize the economy” was held in İstanbul. The prosecutor submitted his final opinion to the court and asked for Sedef’s and others' acquittal as the criminal charges could not be proven. The court gave additional time to the defendants and the plaintiff to finalize their defenses. The verdict is to be expected in the next hearing on April 29.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) agrees with the prosecution and demands Sedef and other journalists’ immediate acquittal. Authorities must end weaponizing law to intimidate journalists. Journalism is not a crime.
The ninth hearing of the case against 38 people, including journalists Sedef Kabaş and Merdan Yanardağ, Mustafa Sönmez, Bloomberg economy reporters Fercan Yalınkılıç and Kerim Karakaya, was held at the Istanbul 3rd Criminal Court of First Instance. The journalists are accused of attempting an economic coup over a report published at Bloomberg in 2018.
The report was revealed on August 10, 2018, entitled “Turkish bank crisis prompts emergency meeting on Saturday” by finance reporters Fercan Yalınkılıç and Kerim Karakaya in Bloomberg. The Turkish lira’s depreciation towards the dollar was brought to the agenda with the report. The report stated that after the rise in the dollar, banks did not meet their foreign exchange demands. It was declared that those who demand foreign currency can do so for the next business day, and the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BDDK), known as BDDK, will hold an urgent meeting with the top executives of the banks at the weekend.
Following the news, the BDDK filed a lawsuit against the reporters who wrote the news and 38 people who shared it from their Twitter accounts. The reporters and other defendants were accused of "undermining the stability of Turkey's economy" in the indictment. Six journalists, including Sedef Kabaş, face two to five years sentences in prison on charges of "violating the Capital Law".
Today, the prosecutor of the case submitted a final opinion to the court and requested all defendants' acquittal. According to Eylem Sonbahar from the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), Ayşegül Erbil, the counsel of BDDK, and Merzuke Dağlı, the counsel of the Capital Markets Board (SPK), repeated their previous statements and requested to the court additional time for their final states.
Sedef Kabaş’s lawyer Yağızhan Veli represented her at today’s hearing. He pointed out that the case has been continuing for three years and it should end in a reasonable time under the Constitutional Court's principles. He requested from the court to reject the SPK and BDDK counsel's requests for additional time for their statements.
The court accepted the plaintiffs’ requests and adjourned the next hearing until April 29. The verdict is expected to be announced in the next hearing.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism demands a fair judicial conclusion for this prosecution. The journalists must be acquitted of all charges. We reiterate that journalism is not a crime.
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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