Cumhuriyet Columnists Sentenced to 2-Year Jail Term Over Charlie Hebdo Cover
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Click here to read the article in Turkish / Haberin Türkçesi için buraya tıklayın
Cumhuriyet columnists Ceyda Karan and Hikmet Çetinkaya have been sentenced to 2 years of prison over “insulting religious values of a portion of society” for publishing cover of Charlie Hebdo’s special edition following killing of its 12 employees.
Complainers shouted allahuakbar
The complainers shouted allahuakbar after the hearing held at İstanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance, Cumhuriyet daily reports.
Kara: Je Suis Charlie
Following the decision, Karan posted the following tweet by using the hashtag #JeSuisCharlie:
“My conscience has prompted me to publish that drawing. The cartoon was shedding tears against the terror in France. It was condemning it as we all did. Terror is a crime against humanity. It has no religion, no belief. Whether it is rightist or leftist, terror is terror”, Karan had said.
Karan in her plead conveyed that it is a humanitarian duty to condemn claiming lives of her colleagues at Charlie Hebdo.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on its tweet defined the incident as “shameful” and “unbearable”.
Shameful, unbearable! #journalists @ceydak & @hikmetcetinkaya sentenced to 2 years in jail for reproducing #CharlieHebdo cover in #Turkey.
— RSF_EECA (@RSF_Europe) 28 Nisan 2016
What had happened?
Cumhuriyet daily which decided to publish Charlie Hebdo’s first edition in Turkish after the Charlie Hebdo attack which claimed lives of 12 was threatened and pointed as target. The daily’s two columnists Çetinkaya and Karan had published cover of the magazine on Muhammad in their columns.
Both of the columnists were targeted on social and media and threatened. Police had raided distribution vehicle of the daily but later allowed for the distribution.
9 years of prison demanded
Suit was brought against Çetinkaya and Karan asked from 1.5 years to 4.5 years of prison each over “explicitly insulting religious values which a portion of society embraces” and “explicitly inciting people to grudge and hostility”.
Erdoğan family wanted to get involved
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s son, Bilal Erdoğan, his daughters Sümeyye Erdoğan and Esra Albayrak, his son-in-law and Justice and Development Party (AKP) İstanbul MP Berat Albayrak, and Chief Advisor of the President Mustafa Varank wanted to get involved via their attorneys. (EA/TK)