Acquittal of Journalists Durukan, Çakkalkurt, Koçali and Pekgöz

Milliyet newspaper reporter Namık Durukan and Günlük newspaper official Filiz Koçali were acquitted. Durukan was litigated over his reporting about an announcement of Duran Kalkan, executive of the armed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Koçali stood trial on the grounds of her interview with Murat Karayılan, Head of the Steering Council of the Democratic Confederation of Kurdistan (KCK), the umbrella organization that includes the PKK.

Public prosecutor Savaş Kırbaş had pleaded for the conviction of journalist Durukan who was prosecuted together with the nation-wide daily's Editor-in-chief Hasan Çakkalkurt. However, the Istanbul 10^th High Criminal Court decided for the defendants' acquittal.

Durukan and Çakkalkurt were on trial since 30 July 2009 on the grounds of a news item entitled "Even a general amnesty will not make us put down our weapons". The article was based on an announcement of PKK executive Kalkan made to Fırat News Agency (ANF).

Both journalists stood accused of "spreading propaganda for an illegal organization" as stipulated in Article 7/2 of the Anti-Terror Act. They were each facing up to 7.5 years in prison.

Court Judge Zafer Başkurt said in the decision, "The writing is to be seen as a news item. Considering the news as a whole, it is understood that the news article does not contain any elements of crime regarding propaganda for an illegal organization".

Durukan: The unease of being a defendant

Un-detained defendant Durukan said in the last hearing on Tuesday (23 November) that the article was published with the aim of communicating news and that it was not intended as propaganda. "I had this news published within the scope of press freedom. The aim of the organization was featured in the news. Many newspapers published news about this topic. I had no premeditation of crime. I request my acquittal".

Durukan told bianet after his acquittal, "Everybody talks, discusses, publishes. Being a defendant and following and reporting about the progress of the trial creates an uneasy feeling. This also affects your perspective".

Acquittal on Qandil interview

Also journalist Filiz Koçali and newspaper official Ramazan Pekgöz from the Kurdish Günlük newspaper stood accused of the same charges on the grounds of an interview held with KCK executive Murat Karayılan.

Right after Durukan's acquittal, the Istanbul 13^th High Criminal Court also acquitted defendants Koçali and Pekgöz.

In the issues dated 7, 8 and 9 August 2009, the Kurdish daily 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". Koçali and Pekgöz were tried under charges of "spreading propaganda for an illegal organization". Further legal grounds of guilt were put forward because the statements conveyed in the interview stemmed from a member of the organization. (EÖ/VK)