Lawyer of Arrested Journalist Emre Orman: Online Game Cited as Evidence

* Photo: Nazım Dikbaş

Click to read the article in Turkish

Taken into custody due to his social media messages on October 23 and arrested on charge of "propagandizing for a terrorist organization", journalist Emre Orman's colleagues held a statement for the press regarding his arrest in İstanbul on Saturday (October 26).

While journalists held their statement at the İstanbul Branch office of the Human Rights Association (İHD), they were also supported by main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) MP Ali Şeker and Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) MPs Züleyha Gülüm and Musa Piroğlu.

'They tell him not to write again'

Orman's lawyer Kerem Karakurt said, "A very simple police investigation report was shown to us. But, the day after, we saw that we were faced with something much bigger. They restricted our right of defense."

Indicating that the screenshot of an online game that Orman played on social media was added to his file as evidence for "propagandizing for a terrorist organization", Karakurt stated, "A news article was published and Emre shared it. They are not his statements, but they are still added to the file as a reason for his arrest. The actual reason is this: They tell him, 'Don't write, don't do it ever again. There is no freedom of press'."

HDP MP Züleyha Gülüm also said, "The judiciary makes decisions upon the instructions of the government. It has now become impossible to talk about rights, law, compliance with the law in this country any more. The workers of the free press also get their share from the judiciary of the government."

'14 journalists arrested in 9 months'

Reading out the statement for the press, Buse Söğütlü stated, "We do not accept the arrest of Emre and conditions of oppression, threat and censorship, to which journalists are attempted to be condemned.

"In the first 9 months of 2019, 52 journalists were detained, 14 journalists were arrested, an investigation was launched against 32 journalists, a lawsuit was filed against 15 journalists. 330 journalists stood trial, 46 journalists were sentenced to 138 years, 7 months, 18 days in prison in total.

'Emre should be released immediately'

"In Turkey, where prisons are full of journalists, we as the workers of free press wanted to announce it once again to the widest possible audience that we do not accept that our colleagues are arrested in silence.

"We demand that our colleague who works for people's right to get information and news should be released immediately. We request that all our imprisoned colleagues, who were arrested with their cameras and pens taken from their hands, be released immediately so that they can reunite with their cameras as soon as possible." (EMK/RT/SD)