Turkey: The Ninth Hearing Of The Trial Against Journalist Sibel Hürtaş Has Been Postponed To 2021
Location: Turkey, Ankara
Date: November 26, 2020Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
The ninth hearing of the trial against journalists Sibel Hürtaş and Hayri Demir was postponed due to the absence of both the prosecution and defense lawyers. The next hearing will be held on March 4, 2021. The Coalition For Women In Journalism demands the journalists’ acquittal.
Artı TV Ankara Representative Sibel Hürtaş was one of 11 people detained for their social media posts about the Turkish military “Olive Branch” operation in Afrin in January 2018. The lawsuit was filed after the journalists’ detentions on accusations of inciting hatred and hostility as well as spreading terrorist propaganda. If found guilty, they face a sentence of two to eight years.
Sibel interviewed former AKP Deputy Ahmet Faruk Ünsal and the deputy HDP Deputy Osman Baydemir in January 2018 in a special broadcast concerning the Afrin Operations. After sharing the announcement of the broadcast on her social media account, police raided Sibel’s house and detained her.
In the last hearing of the trial, the Ministry of Justice had not submitted a request for a prosecution permit as per Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code.
During the last hearing case, journalist Sibel Hürtaş made her defence to the court and referenced the first judicial package, a regulation stating "sharing of news and criticism do not constitute a crime". This added to the article concerning making propaganda for a terrorist organization under the Anti-Terror Law. Hürtaş, who asked the court to take this arrangement into account, said “In the meantime, the second judicial package came out. Now the third judicial package will be released. However, your court has not yet implemented the first judicial package. Article 301 is not about me. For me, the file is getting superfluous.”
The ninth hearing case was supposed to be held yesterday at Ankara’s 15th High Criminal Court, however, due to the absence of lawyers on both sides, it was postponed to March 4, 2021.
Sibel Hurtas is an award-winning Turkish journalist who focuses on human rights and judicial and legal affairs. Her career includes 15 years as a reporter for the Turkish newspapers Evrensel, Taraf, Sabah and HaberTürk. She won the Metin Goktepe and the Musa Anter Journalism Awards in 2004, as well as the Turkish Journalists Association’s Merit Award in 2005.
The Coalition For Women in Journalism condemns the weaponization of the law to terrorize journalists. We urge Turkish authorities to respect the freedom of the press and demand the journalists’ immediate acquittal.
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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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