71 Journalists in Jail

In a joint statement issued on 15 November, the Day of the Imprisoned Writer, the Writers Union of Turkey (TYS), the PEN Turkey Centre and the Publishers Association of Turkey demanded the abolishment of Articles 6 and 7 of the Anti Terrorism Law (TMK) on "Disclosure and Publication" and "Terrorist Organizations" respectively.

The group also protested against the arrest of publisher and writer Ragıp Zarakolu and academic Prof Büşra Ersanlı as two of more than 40 people who are detained in the context of the so-called KCK operations regarding the Union of Kurdistan Communities that also includes the outlawed PKK.

The press conference was held at the Istanbul Medical Chamber. It was emphasized in the statement that about 70 journalists and writers are currently incarcerated in Turkey besides thousands of pending trials.

Articles 6 and 7 of the TMK should be abolished

The President of the Publishers Association of Turkey, Metin Celal, reminded that most of the detained journalists and writers are being prosecuted under the amendments of Articles 6 and 7 of the TMK made in 2006. Celal urged for the immediate abolishment of both articles.

Situation in Turkey

A total of 71 journalists are behind bars on the Day of the Imprisoned Writer. They have been arrested under allegations of "membership in an organization", "propaganda for an illegal organization", "influencing a fair trial" and "praising crime and a criminal". The list of convicts, defendants and people in pre-trial detention is getting longer and longer.

Most of the journalists are being prosecuted in the scope of the TMK. The Anti-Terrorism Law quickly narrows down free and independent journalism and the people's right to information.

Ten of the imprisoned journalists are in jail on the grounds of their news or books. A total of 25 journalists are currently behind bars in the context of operations and investigations related to the Union of Kurdistan Communities - Turkey (KCK), the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the Revolutionary Patriotic Youth (DYG), 16 in the context of the clandestine "Ergenekon" organization charged with the attempt to topple the government, seven in connections with the Marxist Leninist Communist Party (MLKP), six related to the Party and Revolutionary Front for the Liberation of the Turkish People (DHKP-C), two in the scope of the "Revolutionary Headquarters" terrorist organization, and one each in the context of the Turkey's People's Liberation Party-Front (THKP-C) and the Resistance Movement trial.

One journalist is tried under allegations of "affiliations with an illegal organization" even though the name of the "organization" has not been mentioned yet. Another journalist is being detained because he protested the Governor of Istanbul, Hüseyin Avni Mutlu. The investigation about Isamail Avan form the Halkın Günlüğü newspaper is still going on.

Persecuted because of their writings

Managing editors of the Kurdish Azadiya Welat newspaper Vedat Kurşun, Ruken Ergün and Ozan Kılıç are in detention on 15 November just as Azadiya Welat Batman representative Deniz Kılıç; Dicle News Agency (DİHA) Batman representative Erdoğan Alkan, Diyarbakır representative Kadri Kaya; Batman Post writer Mehmet Karabaş; Aram Publishing owner and executive of the Hawar newspaper Bedri Adanır; editor-in-chief of the Workers and Peasants on the Path of Revolution newspaper Barış Açıkel and New Comment and New Comment in the Country owner and manager Saadet Irmak.

KCK-PKK-DYG

14 journalists are in jail as convicts of trials related to the KCK, the PKK and the DYG: İhsan Sinmiş, Seyithan Akyüz, Murat İlhan, Ali Konar, Abdülcabbar Karabeğ and Ali Çat from Azadiya Welat; DİHA employees Behdin Tunç, Faysal Tunç, Mehmet Karaaslan and Ali Buluş; Gündem Mersin representative Bayram Parlak, GÜN TV radio speaker Rohat Ekmekçi; Dilşah Ercan, writer for the Yorum newspaper and the Yeni Özgür Halk magazine and Radio Dünya executive Kenan Karavail.

DİHA Hakkari reporter Hamdiye Çiftçi, DİHA Adana reporter Ahmet Akyol, GÜN TV General Manager Ahmet Birsin and Azadiya Welat Tunceli reporter Nuri Yeşil are detained pending trial.

DİHA reporters Sinan Aygül and Feyyaz Deniz still do not know what they are charged with. With arrests in the course of KCK operations in October, the number of people waiting for the announcement of the indictment rose to seven; including Özgür Gündem editor Kazım Şeker, DİHA reporter Aydın Yıldız, Azadiya Welat former general publications director Tayyip Temel, Özgür Gündem writer Songül Karatagna and writer and publisher Ragıp Zarakolu.

Ergenekon

The number of journalists imprisoned on the grounds of the Ergenekon case increased to 16 after the arrest of Turan Özlü, general Publications Director of Ulusal Kanal ('National Channel'), in August.

The other detainees are Cumhuriyet newspaper writer Mustafa Balbay, journalist and writer Tuncay Özkan, Kanal B Television concessionaire Mehmet Haberal, Ulusal Kanal television general publications director Hikmet Çiçek, Aydınlık magazine general publications director Mehmet Deniz Yıldırım, journalist and book author Ahmet Şık, Milliyet newspaper reporter Nedim Şener, Oda TV internet site concessionaire Soner Yalçın, Oda TV internet site general publications director Barış Pehlivan, Oda TV internet site news manager Barış Terkoğlu, OdaTV internet site writers Coşkun Musluk, Doğan Yurdakul, Müyesser Uğur Yıldız and Muammer Sait Çakır, journalist and writer Yalçın Küçük.

MLKP

Eylül Hapishane ('September Prison') editor Erdal Süsem, Atılm Magazine owner and editor-in-chief Hatice Duman and Atılım Magazine Istanbul reporter Dilek Keskin were convicted in the trial related to the underground Marxist Leninist Communist Party (MLKP).

Atılım Newspaper publications coordinator Sedat Şenoğlu, Atılım Magazine writer Hasan Çoşar, Bayram Namaz and Özgür Radio general publications coordinator Füsun Erdoğan have trials pending in the context of the MLKP.

DHKP-C

Yürüyüş magazine employees Naciye Yavuz, Kaan Ünsal and Cihan Gün, Kamu Emekçiler magazine owner Halit Güdenoğlu, Kamu Emekçiler magazine editor-in-chief Musa Kur and Emek ve Adalet magazine Ankara representative Mustafa Gök are in pre-trial detention and await their indictments related to DHKP-C trials.

Besides...

Hakan Soytemiz from Red/International and Osman Baha Okar from Bilim ve Gelecek are being prosecuted in the scope of the Revolutionary Headquarters trial. Odak magazine editor-in-chief Erol Zavar received a life sentence in the "Revolutionary Movement" case. In the trial on the "THKP-C Revolutionary Path", Devrimci Hareket magazine writer Mehmet Yeşiltepe was sentenced to imprisonment of eight years and nine months. Miktat Algül from the Mersin Mezitli FM-Ulus newspaper is tried under allegations of affiliation with an illegal organization while the name of the organization has not been disclosed yet.

Engineering Architecture and Planning + Acceleration Magazine editor-in-chief Fatih Özgür Aydın is in pre-trial detention since 25 July because he protested Istanbul Governor Hüseyin Avni Mutlu. (EG/NM)