Location: Turkey, Istanbul
Date: October 22, 2020

Available in: 🇹🇷  Türkçe

Verdict hearing of the case initiated against Cumhuriyet Newspaper’s former diplomacy news reporter Duygu Güvenç was held today. Duygu had given her final defense statements during the hearing held in July and The Coalition For Women In Journalism has been nervously waiting for the final decision on her case. During today’s hearing the court decided with unanimity to acquit Duygu and her colleague Alican Uludağ from charges. We welcome this decision but repeat that a case should never have been initiated in the first place.

A lawsuit was filed against Cumhuriyet newspaper reporter Alican Uludağ and ex-reporter Duygu Güvenç on July 27, 2018, for their news stories published in Cumhuriyet about the American pastor Andrew Brunson who was detained in Turkey. In separate news stories, Uludağ and Güvenç wrote that Brunson’s subsequent release was based on political and diplomatic, rather than legal reasons.

Journalists who were charged with “public defamation of judicial organs”, in their previous defense statements had stated that they did not defame judiciary organs in their stories and did not have such intent, emphasizing that they simply exercised their rights of journalism and criticism.

While we welcome the decision of the court, we find it important to note that crackdowns against journalists have not calmed in recent times. CFWIJ data shows that Turkey is one of the top jailers of women journalists. Six women journalists remain behind bars as of today due to flimsy charges. Women journalists are constantly intimidated through legal instruments and they face defamation charges for simply conducting their jobs. Freedom of the press cannot be ensured in this environment. We demand that journalists’ right to speech be protected and demand all such charges against women journalists for their professional activities be dropped.

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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.