Taraf and Günlük Journalists Facing Jail

Prosecutor Mustafa Çavuşoğlu from the Istanbul 14^th High Criminal Court demanded prison sentence of ten years for Taraf newspaper reporter Mehmet Baransu because the journalist published allegedly "classified" documents related to the Aktütün attack. The raid of the militant Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) on the Aktütün police station on 3 October 2008 resulted in the death of 17 soldiers.

In the hearing on 4 June, Public Prosecutor Cavuşoğlu requested Baransu's punishment according to article 329/1 of the Turkish Criminal Code (Disclosure of information relating to the security and political interests of the State) on the grounds of communicating documents labelled as "classified".

Trial postponed for final defence speech

Baransu stands accused of publishing immediate data from reports of the General Staff Presidency in his articles entitled "The Aktütün Secrets" and "What was experienced to the minute at the General Staff" published on 13 April 2009.

It is claimed that the articles contain "documents with a classified status related to national security". The court judge announced in the hearing that a writing sent by the Military Prosecutor of the General Staff Presidency was included in the file.

After the prosecutor's final submission, the journalist's lawyer Ergin Cinmen requested additional time in order to prepare the final speech of the defence. Thus, the case was postponed to 6 September. The court against journalist Baransu was initially launched by Public Prosecutor Ercan Şafak.

Article 329/1 of the TCK on "Disclosure of information relating to the security and political interests of the State" stiuplates that a person who discloses information whose nature requires it to be kept secret for reasons relating to the security, or internal or external political interests of the State shall be sentenced to imprisonment for a term of five to ten years".

"Günlük" executives facing jail as well

Additionally, the prosecutor of the Istanbul 13^th High Criminal Court demanded prison sentences for Günlük newspaper executives Filiz Koçali and Ramazan Pekgöz under article 7/2 of the Anti-Terror Law (TMY) (propaganda for an illegal organization) because of their interviews carried out on Qandil Mountain in northern Iraq.

Koçali and Pekgöz are each facing imprisonment of up to 7.5 years because of their interview with Murat Karayılan, head of the Steering Council of the Democratic Confederation of Kurdistan (KCK), the umbrella organisation that includes the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Günlük owner Ziya Çiçekçi is tried in the scope of the same lawsuit.

In the issues from 7, 8 and 9 August the Kurdish Günlük newspaper had published the interview in three different sections entitled "We did what Hasan Cemal wanted", "I completely agree with Yaşar Kemal" and "If the state would take one step we would take two". On the basis of the interview the republic chief prosecutor's office claims "spreading PKK propaganda" and sees legal grounds of guilt because the descriptions emanate from a member of the organization. A final decision might be reached in the coming hearing on 2 October. (EÖ/VK)