Turkey: Trial Of Yasemin Çongar, Taraf News’ Journalists On Fabricated Terror Charges Meets Further Delays

Location: Turkey, Istanbul
Date: November 12, 2021

Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe

The hearing of the fabricated terror-related case against former Taraf executive Yasemin Çongar and other journalists of the shuttered newspaper was adjourned for the 37th time on Friday. The court decided to wait for the decision on defendant Mehmet Baransu’s request, pending before another court, to change the committee of judges hearing the case. The next hearing is now slated for January 21, 2022. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) condemns the prolonged trial the journalists have been subjected to for six years. We urge the Turkish authorities and judiciary to ensure a fair trial and drop all bogus charges filed against the journalists based on their critical reporting. We remind the Turkish authorities once again that journalism is not a crime and call for the acquittal of Yasemin and other journalists of the liberal news outlet.

Taraf newspaper, known for its vociferous critique of the Turkish military’s overreaches in state affairs, was forced shut in 2016. Former executives of the newspaper, Yasemin Çongar and Ahmet Altan, and its reporters, Yıldıray Oğur and Mehmet Baransu, were tried on charges of "obtaining, disclosing and destroying information about the security of the state". The allegations against them were based on a report published regarding a secret document called "Sovereign Operation Plan" which belonged to the General Staff. The 37th hearing of the case was held on Friday at the İstanbul 13th High Criminal Court and was adjourned yet again. 

Yasemin Çongar's lawyer, Figen Albuga Çalıkuşu, who was present in the courtroom, noted that the journalist's defense has been added to the case file. She requested for the next hearing to be scheduled after a decision is reached on Baransu’s request. The defendant’s have accused the current court committee of bias and have sought for their case to be transferred to a different committee. The court accepted Çalıkuşu’s request and adjourned the hearing till January 21, 2022. 

At a previous hearing, on June 2, 2021, the prosecutor had sought a prison sentence of five to 10 years for the journalists on the charge of "disclosure of information regarding the security and political interests of the state". If convicted, Yasemin may be sent behind bars for up to 10 years. 

Prior to that, in an interim order the İstanbul court denied the lawyers' request to excuse Baransu from appearing before the court. The defence team had made this request citing that the court had lost its impartiality in the six years that the trial has continued for. They argued that the journalists were not being given a fair trial. 

The Coalition For Women In Journalism calls for impartiality and transparency to be ensured in the trial. We demand that the charges prompted by Yasemin Çongar and other defendants’ robust journalism be dropped immediately. The CFWIJ has closely monitored the pattern of intimidation and legal harassment of journalists in Turkey, where the judiciary appears to act in connivance with the state. Attempts are made to silence dissenting voices by embroiling journalists and activists in criminal investigations and frivolous lawsuits. For merely doing their job and asking critical questions, journalists are threatened with harsh punishments. Delay tactics are used to prolong the process and judicial control measures or pretrial detentions are frequently enforced to intimidate journalists into silence. Such blatant legal harassment casts a dark shadow on the country’s claims to be democratic republic. We remind the Turkish authorities that journalism is not a crime. The authorities must stop weaponizing the country’s laws to gag the media and ensure the freedom of the press.

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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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