RSFs Letter to Turkish Justice Minister Turk

Journalist Horuz sentenced to 15 years imprisonment. Daily Cumhuriyet managing editor Yildiz was detained, for no apparent reason, at an Ankara hotel during the night of 14 to 15 June. He was held for questioning an for 12 hours, then released.

Paris

On 13 June 2002, Memik Horuz, publication director of the far-left magazine "Isçi Köylü", was sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment for "belonging to an illegal armed organization".

The conviction follows his publication of interviews with far-left activists.

Two days later, Ibrahim Yildiz, managing editor of the daily newspaper "Cumhuriyet", was illegally detained for questioning.

"The methods used by judiciary officials and the police in Turkey are appalling," RSF Secretary-General Robert Ménard noted in a letter to Turkish Justice Minister Hikmet Sami Turk.

Horuz's arrestation

Ménard expressed concern over the developments and protested the cavalier way in which the two cases were handled. "Horuz was only sentenced on the basis of one article he wrote and one witness's claims, which were proven false by the defense lawyers," he said.

"Yildiz was held for questioning for 12 hours, simply because the police's files were not up to date. We ask you to free Horuz at once," Ménard added.

Ankara's State Security Court No. 2 sentenced Horuz under Article 168 (2) of the criminal code. The publication director was sent to the city's Sincan Prison on 18 June 2001.

He was accused of writing a feature based on interviews with members of a banned organization, the armed wing of the Turkish Marxist-Leninist Party (TKP/ML TIKKO), and publishing it in the magazine "Ozgur Gelecek" in November 2000. The court refused to reduce his sentence for good behavior, as allowed for under Article 59 of the criminal code.

Horuz is a journalist

The only evidence that the court considered to reach its conclusion were the article and the testimony of an alleged former TKP/ML TIKKO member, Erol Cetin, who claimed Horuz was a member of the party and had taken part in some training exercises. The defense-produced alibis for every date and fact put forward by Cetin.

RSF notes that Turkey's Press Council believes Horuz was convicted for his journalistic activities, although the formal charges against him are not linked to his professional activities as a journalist.

Cumhuriyet's managing editor detention

"Cumhuriyet" managing editor Yildiz was detained, for no apparent reason, at an Ankara hotel during the night of 14 to 15 June. He was held for questioning for 12 hours, then brought before a court and released.

Police had been looking for him in connection with an article about a bank, for which he was sued in 1996 and then amnestied the following year.

However, the police files on the case were not up to date. Since Yildiz received no information about the legal action against him, the police had no right to arrest him and should have simply summoned him. (NM)

* Reporters sans frontières (RSF)