Location: Turkey, Diyarbakir
Date: July 14, 2020

Available in: 🇹🇷  Türkçe

JinNews reporter Kibriye Evren’s trial on charges of “membership to a terrorist organization” and “propagandizing a terrorist organization” was held today before Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court.

Kibriye Evren was arrested on October 11, 2018, during simultaneous operations towards Kurdish politicians. The indictment cited Evren’s trips abroad, social media posts, and her presence at the Kurdish women groups such as Free Women’s Congress (Kongreya Jinên Azad) as evidence. Anonymous witness statements were also included in the indictment.

Evren’s tweets such as “Jinha (Turkey’s first Women News Agency) cannot be silenced” and a repost of the tweet posted by prominent journalist Hasan Cemal about a bombing in Turkey, which said, “Bombs exploded, many young people died,” were among those which were cited as criminal evidence.

The court had ordered her conditional release on November 12, 2019 - after a year and one month had passed.

Kibriye Evren didn’t attend today’s hearing due to a health report she obtained while the courtroom was closed to observation due to Covid-19 precautions.

Kibriye’s lawyers Resul Tamur and Pirozhan Karali stated that they will make sure that their client will stand before the judge and they will present their defense statements on the joint case due to the change in the composition of the court.

In its interlocutory order, the court requested that a writ be sent to Mersin Public Prosecutor’s office concerning the outcome of the indictment about Kibriye Evren in a case initiated in 2012 and adjourned the trial until November 26th, 2020.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism demands that the Turkish judiciary acquit the charges against Kibriye. We urge them to reconsider their decision so that she is free to continue doing her work. It is crucial for women journalists to be able to work freely without any fear of being punished.

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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.

If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.