Turkey: We Welcome The Acquittal Of Writer And Journalist Işil Özgentürk
Location: Turkey, Istanbul
Date: March 5, 2020Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
We are glad that journalist Işıl Özgentürk has been acquitted after the second hearing of her case today. She was accused of “making propaganda for a terrorist organisation”. We welcome this decision by the Turkish judiciary and hope that similar verdicts will be delivered to all women journalists facing trials.
According to a lawsuit filed against Işıl in December 2019, she was accused of “making propaganda for a terrorist organisation” through her social media posts. During the first hearing of her trial, the prosecutor requested the court to punish Işıl with one to five years of imprisonment. While stating that the crime was committed through the press, the prosecutor asked that six months be added to the sentence. Işıl’s lawyer was granted time by the court to prepare her defense and the hearing was subsequently postponed.
When speaking in her defense during the trial’s second hearing, Işıl said, "I am very sorry, especially after what the prosecutor said about me, I wish I weren’t a journalist and remained insensitive to my country's problems.”
Işıl further added that she loves her country and would have chosen to stay abroad if she was not a loyal citizen.
“I am 73 years old and have been a journalist for the past 50 years. I would have gone abroad on September 12, last year. But I chose not to because I cannot live in another country,” she said.
“How can I defend the PKK terrorist organization? I am a peaceful and patriotic person. But I am against child marriage. You can punish me for that, but not for making propaganda of PKK,” she added.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is delighted that Işıl has been acquitted. However, we continue to raise our voice for other women journalists facing trials and imprisonments in Turkey. Journalism is not a crime and no journalist deserves to face criminal charges for their work.
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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.