"Efforts to Silence the Press"

Eleven defendants, employees of the Yürüyüş ('Marching') magazine and the Ozan Publishing Company, had their first court hearing on Friday (10 January) after 13 months in pre-trial detention.

Detained defendants Gülsüm Yıldız, Nejla Can and Mehmet Ali Uğurlu were released pending trial. The court decided to keep defendants Abdullah Özgün, Hatice Rüken Kılıç, Remzi Uçucu, Halit Güdenoğlu, Naciye Yavuz, Kaan Ünsal, Musa Kurt and Cihan Gün in detention.

The hearing was observed by Ahmet Abakay, President of the Contemporary Lawyers Association (ÇGD).

Preceding the hearing, members of the Office Workers Union (BES) protested the trial that also includes BES Steering Board Member Gülsün Yıldız. BES President Osman Biçer announced in a press release that the tenor of this trial was fascism. "The AKP continues its activities in line with this aim. It openly imposes state terror to groups that are facing injustices and lawlessness", Biçer criticized.

The magazine employees are charged with "propaganda for a terrorist organization" and "membership in a terrorist organization". Evidence shown in the indictment includes legal books like "Disassociated journalists in the monopolized media" and "Rights of journalists and professional issues" and a news item and photographs related to the "Return to Life" operation published in the 246^th issue of the Yürüyüş magazine.

"We are tried under the same allegations as our torturers"

Detained defendant Cihan Gün was doing the page setting at Ozan Publishing. He said that his finger prints found on the book "Ravens and carrions" were considered as evidence of crime. "These are efforts to silence the press. There are currently more than a hundred journalists in prison. When Engin Çeber was being tortured in police custody, I was beaten in the next room. Distributing the Yürüyüş magazine is not a crime. It is a democratic right. I have been detained for 13 months and I request my release", Gün said.

Yürüyüş magazine employee Halit Güdenoğlu stated, "It was said that my finger prints were on books found at Ozan Publishing. Yes, I might have touched these books. It that a crime? This is an attack on press freedom. This is the silencing of dissident voices".

Naciye Yavuz pointed to the lack of freedom of thought in Turkey. "My thoughts were the reason for my arrest. 8 March, 1 May and attending the funeral of Güler Zere are shown as offences in the indictment. But this must not be a crime. Many people attend these demonstrations", Yavuz stressed and added, "It is said that I was the spokesperson at an event on 30 October 2005 but in fact I was in prison at that date".

Necla Can, owner of Ozan Publishing, said to her defence, "You should have seen the state of my work place after the raid. They even tore down walls. Hence, I complained at the police. However, when I was taken into custody five months later they said, 'You complained about us'". She pointed to the fact that the persons who were applying torture together with Kenan Evren and Tahsin Şahinkaya at that time are being tried under the same allegations. Can continued, "Hrant Dink was a journalist like us. The bullet that hit him hit all of our necks. Whoever stood up against the state has either been tortured or killed for years".

What happened?

The weekly Yürüyüş magazine office in Şişli (Istanbul) was raided on 24 December 2010 at 4.00 am in the morning. The crackdown by the riot forces was supported by helicopters. The raid also included Ozan Publishing as the company preparing the magazine to go to print.

A total of 15 employees of the Yürüyüş magazine and Ozan Publishing were taken into custody, eleven of whom were arrested and imprisoned at the Sincan F Type Prison (SK/ÇT)

* Photograph: Esra Koçak.