The 16th hearing of the trial against the closed Dicle News Agency (DİHA) reporter Şerife Oruç was held today in Batman. The court postponed the next hearing until June 26, 2021, by giving additional time for the completion of witnesses statements. The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns Turkish authorities who constantly postponed the hearings to intimidate the journalists. We demand Şerife’s acquittal immediately. Journalism is not a crime.

The fourth hearing of the trial against journalist Seyhan Avşar was held today in İstanbul. Seyhan was tried for “identifying a public officer as a target for terrorist organizations”. The prosecutor requested the court authority to punish the journalist on terror charges. The next hearing was postponed to 16 March 2021. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) condemns the legal persecution against journalists who reveal the facts. We demand Seyhan’s acquittal immediately.

Gazeteciler Serpil Ünal ve Songül Yücel’in sosyal medya paylaşımları gerekçe gösterilerek “terör örgütü üyeliği” ve “terör örgütü propagandası yapmak” suçlamalarıyla yargılandığı dava dün İstanbul’da görüldü. Karar duruşması görülen davada mahkeme gazetecilere yönelik bir yıl altı ay 22 gün hapis cezası verdi. Gazetecilikte Kadın Koalisyonu olarak sadece sosyal medya paylaşımları nedeniyle verilen hapis cezasını kınıyor, gazetecilerin derhal beraatini talep ediyoruz.

The trial against journalists Serpil Ünal and Songül Yücel on charges of "being a member of a terrorist organisation" and "spreading propaganda for a terrorist organization" was held yesterday in Istanbul. The court sentenced the journalists to one year, six months and 22 days in prison. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) condemns the prison sentence given solely for their social media posts, and demands the immediate acquittal of the journalists.

Andrea Sahouri was acquitted today after standing trial for covering a Black Lives Matter demonstration in May 2020. At the time of arrest, and during court proceedings Sahouri claimed that she was physically assaulted and arrested by the police, despite clarifying multiple times that she was a journalist. Sahouri’s release was much welcomed by the international community.

Earlier today, the judges confirmed the first sentence against Loujain Al-Hathloul regarding charges of “terrorist activities”. Loujain, a feminist activist, who recently released from prison on bail had said last week that she hoped the court would amend her sentence.

Habertürk yazarı Nagehan Alçı hakkında açılan ‘hakaret’ davasının üçüncü duruşması bugün görüldü. Mahkeme, savcı tarafından mütalaa hazırlandıktan sonra taraflara savunma için süre vereceğine karar vererek bir sonraki duruşmayı 31 Mart 2021 tarihine erteledi. Gazetecilikte Kadın Koalisyonu (CFWIJ) olarak davayı yakından takip ediyoruz.

The third hearing of the case against Habertürk columnist, Nagehan Alçı, was held today in İstanbul. The court ruled to give both parties time for their pleas after the prosecutor submits his opinion, and adjourned the case until March 31, 2021. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) follows this case intently. We demand a fair verdict of the case against Nagehan.

Luz Escobar, a correspondent for website 14yMedio, was barred from leaving her home in Havana on International Women's Day. There were plainclothes police personnel guarding her door, as well as two women from the ministry of the interior in a nearby car, keeping surveillance. Luz was told she could not go out and was to remain inside her house. CFWIJ is appalled by the alarming state restrictions enforced against the journalist.

Huffington Post laid off 47 of its staffers just a month into its acquisition by Buzzfeed. Several employees were invited to attend a virtual meeting where they were informed about the decision. The majority of the fired staff are journalists, including several accomplished women reporters. The announcement came as a surprise, with no forewarning prior to the harsh move from Buzzfeed’s executive. The closure of the Huffington Post's entire Canadian edition was announced in the same meeting. Jonah Peretti, CEO of Buzzfeed, shared that the cutbacks are intended to fast-track the path of profitability. CFWIJ is concerned by the capitalist leadership that has blatantly disregarded the value of these well-respected journalists. We rebuke the reckless decision of firing talented and experienced staff, especially women journalists.

Freelance journalist Shauna Sowersby was assaulted by police during her coverage of a Seattle protest on November 3, election night. Shauna recounted to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that while the press remained on the sidewalk, she was still shoved for a “good four or five seconds” when trying to film an arrest. Shauna was wearing a bulletproof vest, with her press credentials visible, but this did not deter the officer’s aggression. CFWIJ condemns the authorities’ continued assaults on journalists.

Andrea Sahouri was arrested in May 2020, while covering a Black Lives Matter demonstration for an Iowa Newspaper. According to Sahouri, she was physically assaulted and arrested by the police, despite clarifying multiple times that she was a journalist. Her employer publication registered a protest regarding her arrest, claiming that this was repression of the press. However, the charges against Sahouri were not dismissed.

Four photojournalists were assaulted and detained by the police in Mexico City on Monday. Graciela López of Agencia Cuartoscuro, Sashenka Gutierrez of EFE News, Gabriela Esquivel from Daily 24 Hour, and Leslie Pérez from Heraldo de México were detained. The journalists were covering the demonstrations held to commemorate International Women's Day in Mexico City.

The second hearing of the trial against Democrat-News editor Selda Manduz on the charge of being affiliated with an armed terrorist organization was held today. The court ruled to wait for the review reports of digital materials until the next hearing until April 8, 2021. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) condemns the pressure exerted on journalists through the judiciary. We demand Selda’s acquittal immediately.

Gazeteci Sadiye Eser’in yargılandığı davanın üçüncü duruşması bugün İstanbul’da görüldü. Mahkeme davayı yine erteleyerek, bir sonraki duruşmanın 8 Haziran 2021 tarihinde görülmesine karar verdi. Gazetecilikte Kadın Koalisyonu (CFWIJ) gazetecilere yönelik açılan davaların gazetecileri yıpratma amacı taşıyarak ertelenmesini kınıyor. Gazeteci Sadiye Eser’in derhal beraat edilmesini talep ediyor.