IT CANNOT HAPPEN IN A STATE OF LAW
509 citizens denounce the decision to confiscate property of journalist Can Dündar
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Signing a joint declaration, 509 citizens have denounced the decision of the court which has ruled that journalist Can Dündar, who is currently abroad, shall be deemed a "fugitive" and his entire property shall be confiscated in the event that he fails to appear in court in İstanbul within 15 days.
Protesting this ruling, the signatories of the declaration have defined this action as "an unlawfulness that aims to take revenge."
The full statement of the citizens is as follows:
'We protest the decision'
"The government's confiscation of its dissidents' property is a method of punishment inherited from the Ottomans and institutionalized with the military coup on September 12. It is an unlawfulness that aims to take revenge.
"When he was the Editor-in-Chief of the Cumhuriyet newspaper, Can Dündar reported a news regarding the trucks that were stopped and searched by the gendarmerie on the Hatay-Adana border and where immunition was found. The news story in question was previously reported by another newspaper (and the lawsuit filed into this news story was dropped).
"Speaking about this news that was not denied, President Erdoğan, who was the then PM of Turkey, said on May 21, 2015, "The person who reported the news will, I think, pay a heavy price for this. I will not let him be.'
"Since then, numerous lawsuits have been filed against journalist Can Dündar and none of them has ended in conviction. But he has still been declared a criminal by the government and openly targeted many times.
"In the end, while he was about to attend his hearing in the courthouse, Can Dündar was subjected to an armed assassination attempt, which was somehow not within the knowledge of the state inteligence that hears about everything beforehand, and he legally went abroad as he had no longer safety of life in the country. His wife, who wanted to join him later, was taken captive with her passport confiscated.
"The only final court ruling handed down against journalist Can Dündar so far is the ruling of right violation given by the Constitutional Court, which has concluded that his arrest in the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) trucks case was in violation of his right to personal liberty and security and freedom of expression and press.
"The attempt to confiscate his property unless he returns to the country and turns himself in despite all this looks like an action of usurpation to be committed as a continuation of the remark 'I will not let him be.'
"We protest this unlawful decision of confiscation, which openly gives the impression that the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government is preparing for new actions of usurpation, and we hereby declare that such actions cannot take place in a state of law."
The undersigned
Abdullah Demirbaş, Abdullah Köktürk, Abdullah Şener, Abdülhakim Daş, Adil Okay, Adnan Gündoğan, Ahmet Akşit, Ahmet Arat, Ahmet Aykaç, Ahmet Can Akyol, Ahmet Hulusi Kırım, Ahmet Karbeş, Ahmet Kardam, Ahmet Okan, Ahmet Şekercioğlu, Akın Atauz, Akın Evren, Aksel Ağan, Alev Özgüner, Ali Erkut, Ali Fuat Karaöz, Ali Gökkaya, Ali Haydar Yedek, Ali Kulçay, Ali Papur, Aliye Yıldırım, Altan Kadayıfçı, Anjel Dikme, Anoushigizo Tajerian, Arif Kaptan, Arif Mardin, Asım Yazıcı, Aslan Çöl, Aslı Erdoğan, Asuman Başkan, Ata Cengiz Çakır, Atilla Ansal, Atilla Cesur, Attila Tuygan, Avni Sağlam, Ayfer Ersözlü, Ayhan Keskin, Ayla Yılmaz, Aysel Okan Hoşgit, Aysel Önen Turan, Ayşe Arat, Ayşe Cemal, Ayşe Erzan, Ayşe Gözen, Ayşe Semra Eker, Ayşe Sevin Kırıkoğlu, Ayşegül Devecioğlu, Aziz Gökdemir, Babür Pınar, Bahadır Altan, Baho Maçor Çelebi, Baskın Oran, Begüm Yavuz, Bekir Yılmaz, Belgüzar Çakır, Berfin Eryılmaz, Beril Eyüboğlu, Berin Ünsal Erol, Berivan Kaya, Berrin Ağaran, Beytullah Şavkın, Birsen Kayıran, Burak Çopur, Burhan Çalık, Burhan Yılmaz, Bülent Atamer, Bülent Erdem, Bülent Felekoğlu, Bülent Özsoy, Bülent Tekin, Bülent Uzun, Büşra Çiçek, Büşra Ersanlı, Cahit Mete, Canan Tiryaki Falcıoğlu, Candan Göksenin, Celal Fevzi Sayarer, Cem Kadayıfçı, Cem Tiryaki, Cemal Yıldız, Cemil Günay, Cemil Kuyu, Cemile taş, Cengiz Arın, Cengiz Çandar, Cengiz Erdoğan, Cengiz Karakuş, Cevdet Akgün, Cevdet Aslan, Ceyda Can, Cihan Pelen, Cihan Yiğin, Cihat Sevim, Coşkun Sincar, Cumhur Bilgiç, Cumhur Ustaömer, Çetin Ali Nergis, Çiğdem Gökhan, Çiğdem Kotil, Davut Bayraktar, Deniz İlgün, Derya Ertunç, Dilek Kotan, Diren Eren, Dodey Doğa Yeşil, Doğan Altun, Doğan Özgüden, Doğu Çakıroğlu, Eda Ayaydın Akgönül, Ekrem Baran, Ekrem Göycıncık, Elçin Aykaç, Elif Elvan Uluutku Aksay, Emine Dayıoğlu, Emine Uşaklıgil, Emine Yaldız, Emrah Durmuş, Emre Belli, Ender Arat, Engin Çörüşlü, Enver Aslan, Enver Çal, Ercan İpekçi, Ercan Kara, Ercan Zincir, Ercüment Gürçay, Erdal Bayrakoğlu, Erdal Kılıç, Erdinç Duman, Erdoğan Tanyel, Eren Keskin, Ergin Cinmen, Ergin Koçyıldım, Erhan Göksal, Erkin Barın Göylüler, Erol Dursun Kazan, Erol Katırcıoğlu, Erol Kızılelma, Erol Koç, Erol Oktay, Ertuğrul Basmacı, Ertuğrul Dinleten, Ertuğrul Işık, Esat Koçal, Esin Kotiloğlu Karaa, Esra Çiftçi, Esra Koç, Esra Öztürk, Eyüp Bozkurt, Fahrettin Atalmış, Faruk Arhan, Faruk Kızılarslan, Faruk Köstel, Fatime Akalın, Fatin Kanat, Fatma Karagöz, Fatoş Gürel, Fazıl Ahmet Tamer, Feride Fosforoğlu, Fethi İnan, Feza Sengel, Fikret Başkaya, Filiz Kardam, Fuat Mertek, Fulya Kanra, Füsun Çeliker, Füsun Erkel, Füsun Uslu, Galip Yazgan, Gamze Demirbilek, Gamze Ongan, Gaye Taş, Gençay Gürsoy, Gökay Erol, Gönül Soyoğul, Gülderen Alacalı, Gülgün Ağabeyoğlu, Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit, Gülsen Ülker, Gülseren Onanç, Gülten Karagöz, Güner Yener, Güngör Şenkal, Gürbüz Ercenk, Gürel Tüzün, Gürhan Ertür, Gürsel Caniklioğlu, Güzin Tümer, Hacer Ansal, Hacer Elçin, Hadi Gümüş, Hakan Gülseven, Hakan Şengün, Hakan Taş, Halil Enis Karal, Halil Karavelioğlu, Halil Savda, Halim Bulutoğlu, Haluk Ağabeyoğlu, Hamit Akıncı, Hamit Bozarslan, Handan Baykal, Hanife Yüksel, Hanna Beth-sawoce, Harun Turgan, Hasan Cemal, Hasan Çevikkol, Hasan Hüseyin Aktaş, Hasan Kara, Hasan Köse, Hatice Ağca, Hatice Özer, Herkül Millas, Hovsep Hayreni, Hulusi Bilgin, Hüda Kaya, Hülya Kaftar, Hülya Yılmaz, Hürriyet Karadeniz, Hüsamettin Ersözlü, Hüseyin Habib Taşkın, Hüseyin Özcan, Hüseyin Şengül, Hüseyin Topaloğlu, Hüseyin Yüksel Biçen, Hüsnü Öndül, Hüsnü Yıldız, İbrahim Ateş, İclal Gitmez, İlkay Alptekin Demir, İlter Sayın, İnci Acuntaş, İnci Tuğsavul, İpek Ruhnaz Üstüner, İskender Çeçen, İsmail Beşikçi, İsmail Cem Özkan, İsmail Hakalmaz, İsmail Hakkı Sabay, Jean-Pierre Dopagne, John Can İkizler, Kadir Akın, Kadir Cangızbay, Kadir Öztürk, Kadriye Darıcı, Kadriye Hacımusaoğlu, Kamil Aksoy, Kazım Şaroğlu, Kemal Akkurt, Kemal Çakıroğlu, Kemal Özbiçer, Kemal Özçakar, Kemal Yalçın, Kerem Ulaş Dönmez, Kerim Ali Mutlu, Köksal Önder, Kubilay Beyhan, Kudret Ünal, Kumru Toktamış, Kurtuluş Kaya, Kübra Çakıroğlu, Levent Sert, Levent Sümer, Levent Ünal, M. Hulusi Gökdemir, Mahir Soyöz, Mahmut Çebi, Mair Kasuto, Medine Çal, Medine Gök, Mehmet Akdöl, Mehmet Ali Coşkun, Mehmet Çebi, Mehmet Çelebi, Mehmet Emin Karaaslan, Mehmet Necati Beşler, Mehmet Nuri Doruk, Mehmet Özer, Mehmet Rasgelener, Mehmet Sina Hıdır, Mehmet Uluışık, Mehmet Yücel, Melda Baycan, Melek Diker Yücel, Melek Taylan, Memik Horuz, Meryem Koray, Metin Karadeniz, Metin Yaramış, Mihail Vasiliadis, Mikail Değirmenci, Muammer Sağır, Muhammed Gökşin Sanlav, Muhsin Dalfidan, Muhteşem Özdamar, Murad Ekmekçioğlu, Murat Kuseyri, Murat Saklayıcı, Murat Teker, Murat Yılmaz, Mustafa Cinkılıç, Mustafa Çetin, Mustafa Elveren, Mustafa Fehmi Yazıcıoğlu, Mustafa Olaş, Mustafa Paçal, Mustafa Sönmez, Mustafa Şarman, Mustafa Şener, Muzaffer Gezer, Müjdat Hoşköseoğlu, Münevver Çakıroğlu, Nadir Yavuz, Nazar Büyüm, Nazif Öztürk, Necati Abay, Necati Neşe, Necati Sulhan, Necdet Köksal, Necdet Saraç, Necdet Taşdemir, Necip Doğu, Necmi Danişment, Necmi Demir, Necmiye Alpay, Nedret Kuran, Nergiz Savran, Neriman Kulakoğlu Olaş, Nermin Korkmaz, Nesrin Aslan, Nesrin Nas, Neşe Perihan Kulak, Neşe Yaşın, Nevin Emre Ateş, Nevin Şakar, Nevzat Onaran, Nihal Taş, Nihan Asma Sanlav, Nihayet Düzel, Nil Mutluer, Nilgün Göksal, Nilgün Yurdalan, Nimet Çelebi Erdoğan, Ninel Çam, Nizamettin Sevim, Nur Çiğdem Tezel, Nurcan Baysal, Nurdan İpek, Nurettin Çivi, Nurgül Ersoy Uç, Nuri Otyakmazoğlu, Nurten Karagöz, Onsun Meryem, Onur Çakıroğlu, Orhan Alkaya, Orhan Demirdağ, Orhan Silier, Osman Aslan, Osman Gazi Baykal, Osman Genç, Osman Okkan, Osman Sular, Oya Akkuş, Oya Baydar, Ozan Yılmaz, Ömer Ersun, Ömer Faruk Kırnıç, Ömer Sami Yılmaz, Özal Ant, Özcan Yurdalan, Özer Ülgen, Özlen Bayram, Pesent Katırcıoğlu, Pınar Aydınlar, Pınar Ömeroğlu, Ragıp Zarakolu, Rahim Noz, Rahime Begüm Sezgin, Rahmi Yıldırım, Ralf Arditti, Ramazan Doğan, Ramazan Gezgin, Rasim Erer, Raşit Demiröz, Rauf Kocaman, Recai Akgöz, Recep Maraşlı, Reşit Canbeyli, Reyan Tuvi, Rıza Ası, Rıza Türmen, Rıza Yalçın, Rıza Yıldırım, Robert Cabi-Akman, Ruhi Kepsut, Sadettin Aydos, Sait Çetinoğlu, Salih Zeki Tombak, Sami Yılmaz, Samim Akgönül, Seçkin Kır, Sedat Özmen, Sedef Hatapkapulu, Selahattin Koçak, Selda Ilgöz, Selim Alguadiş, Selim Eskiizmirliler, Sema Bulutsuz, Sema Polat, Semih Kavaklı, Semra Çakıroğlu, Semra Somersan, Semra Yılmaz, Serdar Değirmencioğlu, Serdar İşsever, Serhad Raşa, Serkan Çakıroğlu, Serkan Gürel, Sevda Bilgin, Sevda Bozkurt, Sevim Tanrıkulu, Seza Horuz, Sezai Yavaş, Sibel Özbudun, Sinan Kahyaoğlu, Sinan Özdemir, Sinan Tutal, Songül Bulur, Songül Yılmaz, Suar Öngen, Suat Güneş, Suat Kaya, Sultan Tekinarslan, Süheyla Kalyoncu, Süleyman Eryılmaz, Süleyman Karataş, Süleyman Şadi Gür, Şafak Can, Şah İsmail Karagöz, Şanar Yurdatapan, Şebnem Korur Fincancı, Şemsettin Dikmen, Şenay Kadayıfçı, Şenel Göçmen, Şener İnce, Şentürk Gülener, Şerife Suat Erçetin, Şirin Avcı, Şükran Yılmaz, Şükriye Ercan, Şükrü Hamarat, Tahsin Yeşildere, Tarık Günersel, Tayfun Yazıcı, Temel Demirer, Teoman Göral, Tevfik Üçbaş, Timur Ertekin, Tuba Çandar, Tuba Seçil Göksel, Tunç Üvendire, Turan Çimen, Turgut Bayır, Turgut Haskan, Tülay Çakır, Tülay Yıldırım Ede, Uğur Ayken, Urhan Ak, Ülkü Özen, Ümit Böber, Ümit Ferahzade, Ümit Kaya, Ümit Özdemir, Ünal Çakır, Ünal Ünsal, Üstün Güvener, Vedat Şentöregil, Veysel Duman, Volkan Burç, Yalçın Alaca, Yalçın Ergündoğan, Yaman Öğüt, Yaprak Zihnioğlu, Yasemin Civelekoğlu, Yaşar Güngör, Yavuz Okçuoğlu, Yunus Akyıldırım, Yurdanur Atadan, Yusuf Anuk, Yusuf Çakır, Zafer Macit, Zehra Arat, Zehra Ertunç, Zehra Şenoğuz, Zeki Alaca, Zeki Murat Güneş, Zeki Yalçındere, Zerrin Bayrakdar, Zeynep Akıncı, Zeynep Sert, Zeynep Yılmaz, Ziya Bayram, Ziya Halis.
What happened?After daily Cumhuriyet, whose the then Editor-in-Chief was Can Dündar, published a news report titled "Here are the weapons Erdoğan said do not exist" on May 29, 2015, an investigation was launched against the journalist on charges of "obtaining information about the security of the state", "political and military espionage", "disclosing information that should have remained confidential" and "propagandizing for a terrorist organization." Following this news report on the MİT trucks stopped by gendarmerie officers, President Erdoğan threatened Dündar without naming him on a live program on state channel TRT, saying, "I think that this person who reported that special news will pay a heavy price for this. I will not just leave him like this..." As part of the investigation conducted by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, former Cumhuriyet Editor-in-Chief Can Dündar and former Ankara Representative Erdem Gül were arrested on November 26, 2015 on charges of "obtaining and disclosing the confidential information of the state for purposes of political or military espionage" and "knowingly and willingly aiding an armed terrorist organization as non-members." Following the ruling of "right violation" of the Constitutional Court on February 25, 2016, Dündar and Gül were released the day after. Commenting on this ruling, President Tayyip Erdoğan said, "I do not respect it, I do not abide by the ruling." Accepting the indictment issued by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, the İstanbul 14th Heavy Penal Court ruled that Can Dündar should be sentenced to 5 years, 10 months in prison and Erdem Gül to 5 years in prison on charge of "disclosing the confidential information of the state." Acquitting Dündar and Gül of "attempting to overthrow the government of the Republic of Turkey or attempting to prevent it from fulfilling its duty partly or fully," the court separated the file on charge of "knowingly and willingly aiding an armed terrorist organization as non-members. On the day when he had his hearing in İstanbul, Can Dündar was targeted in an armed attack in front of the courthouse in Çağlayan. While Dündar survived the attack without any injuries, NTV reporter Yağız Şenkal was wounded in his leg. Murat Şahin, the assaulter, was sentenced to 10 months in prison and a judicial fine of 4 thousand 500 lira. While the court gave good conduct time to Şahin, it also ruled that "he could not be penalized over an attempted action." The Court of Cassation reversed the prison sentences of Dündar and Gül on charge of "disclosing confidential information of the state" on March 9, 2018. In the light of this reversal, the trial started again at the İstanbul 14th Heavy Penal Court on April 2, 2019. The court requested a red notice against Dündar. Upon the request of the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, the court ruled that on September 17, 2020, in the event that Can Dündar, who was abroad at the time, did not appear in court within 15 days, he would be considered a "fugitive" and his entire property should be confiscated. |
(TP/SD)