Freedom of Expression Defendants Name by Name

The Independent Communication Network (BİA) Media Monitoring Desk on the first quarter of 2011 revealed that a total of 103 people, 62 of whom are journalists, were tried in cases related to freedom of thought and freedom of expression.

This is a compilation of the names of journalists tried under various articles of the Anti-Terror Law (TMY) and the Turkish Criminal Law (TCK) and who won their cases at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

Journalists in Prison

Azadiya Welat newspaper former chief editros Vedat Kurşun and Ozan Kılınç, Aram Publishing concessionaire and Hawer newspaper executive Bedri Adanır, İşçi Köylü newspaper editor-in-chief Barış Açıkel and Proleterce Devrimci Duruş newspaper writer Nevin Berktaş entered the year 2011 in prison on the grounds of their writings and books. As of 31 March 2011, they are still in jail.

42 journalists are being imprisoned in the context of major trials like "Ergenekon", "KCK", "Revolutionary Headquarters", "MLKP" or "Sledgehammer". Journalists Ahmet Şık and Nedim Şener were arrested on 6 March in the scope of the Ergenekon investigation based on their books they published or were preparing to be published.

Hamdiye Çiftçi (DİHA), Ali Buluş (DİHA), Mehmet Karaaslan (DİHA), Sinan Aygül (DİHA), Behdin Tunç (DİHA), Faysal Tunç (DİHA), Haydar Haykır (DİHA), Emine Altınkaya (DİHA), Hıdır Gürz (Halkın Günlüğü), Müyesser Yıldız (Odatv.com), Sait Çakır (Odatv.com), Doğan Yurdakul (Odatv.com), Soner Yalçın (Odatv.com), Barış Pehlivan (Odatv.com), Barış Terkoğlu (Odatv.com), İbrahim Çiçek (Atılım), Sedat Şenoğlu (Atılım), Bayram Namaz (Atılım), Hasan Coşar (Atılım), Dilek Keskin (Atılım), Halit Güdenoğlu (Yürüyüş), Kaan Ünsal (Yürüyüş), Cihan Gün (Yürüyüş), Seyithan Akyüz (Azadiya Welat), Ali Konar (Azadiya Welat), Deniz Yıldırım (Aydınlık), Himet Çiçek (Aydınlık), Kenan Karavil (Adana Radyo Dünya), Ahmet Birsin (Gün TV), Mustafa Balbay (Cumhuriyet), Tuncay Özkan (Kanal Biz), Suzan Zengin (İşçi Köylü), Füsun Erdoğan (İstanbul Özgür Radyo), Erol Zavar (Odak), Musa Kurt (Kamu Emekçileri Cephesi dergisi), Mustafa Gök (Ekmek ve Adalet), Erdal Süsem (Eylül), Baha Okar (Bilim ve Gelecek), Hakan Soytemiz (Red) ve Sabri Adanır (Gündem). Berivan Eker was released pending trial.

Journalists taken into police custody

Ahmet Hakan Coşkun (Hürriyet), İklim Bayraktar (Odatv.com), Ayhan Bozkurt (Odatv.com), Necip Çapraz (Yüksekova Haber), Çağla Yeleser (DİHA), Deniz Kısmetli (Halkın Günlüğü).

Defendants under the Anti-Terror Law

Abdullah Çetin, Adnan Demir, Ahmet Can Karahasanoğlu, Ahmet Sami Belek, Ahmet Türk, Aysel Tuğluk, Aziz Özer, Berivan Eker, Büşra Erdal, Erdal Güler, Ertuğrul Mavioğlu, Fatih Taş, Ferhat Tunç, Filiz Koçali, Hakan Tahmaz, Hayri Beşer, İbrahim Çeşmecioğlu, İsmail Beşikçi, İsmail Muzaffer Öztürk, İsmail Saymaz, Kenan Kıran, Mehmet Güler, Metin Arslan, Neşe Düzel, Ragıp Zarakolu, Ramazan Pekgöz, Rıdvan Kaya, Saadet Irmak, Uğraş Vatandaş, Veysi Sarısözen, Yüksel Genç, Zeycan Balcı Şimşek, Ziya Çiçekçi, 13 people from the refugee camps in Mahmur and Qandil.

Convicted: Fatih Taş, Aziz Özer, Hakan Tahmaz, İbrahim Çeşmecioğlu, Ziya Çiçekçi, Veysi Sarısözen, Ragıp Zarakolu, Mehmet Güler, İsmail Beşikçi, Zeycan Balcı Şimşek, Erdal Güler, Berivan Eker, Uğraş Vatandaş.

Tried on charges of insult:

Adnan Demir, Ahmet Akyüz, Ahmet Altan, Ahmet Can Karahasanoğlu, Ahmet Keskin, Ahmet Topçu, Alaeddin Yüksel, Ali Dağlar, Barış Yarkadaş, 16 members of the Beyoğlu Troupe of Actors, Engin Kaşdaş, Fatih Bayrak, Haldun Açıksözlü, Halil Savda, İlhan Taşçı, İsmail Saymaz, Kenan Kıran, Levent Kelleci, Murat Demirci, Murat Güzel, Nazlı Ilıcak, Nergis Şişek, Neşe Düzel, Oktay Ekşi, Rıdvan Kaya, Sacit Şahin, Selçuk Kozağaçlı, Şebnem Korur Fincancı, Yasemin Çongar.

Convicted: Nazlı Ilıcak, Ahmet Topçu, Ahmet Akyüz.

Attacked journalists:

Ali Bakoğlu (Zümrüt Rize newspaper), Çetin Yılmaz (İstanbul Alternatif Doğuş), Hamza Gül (NTV), Necati Dilli (Rize, freelance), Kazım Şen (Uşak TV) and employees of Kapadokya TV.

Threatened journalists:

Adem Yavuz Arslan (Bugün), Bahadır Baruter (Penguen), Hüseyin Orhan (Ereğlinin Sesi), Mehmet Metiner (Star) and Murat Aktaş (Amasya Objektif).

Journalists facing compensation claims:

Ahmet Sami Belek, Ataol Behramoğlu, Ertuğrul Kürkçü, Hacı Boğatekin, Hasip Kaplan, İbrahim Tığ, İlhan Taşçı, İsmail Muzaffer Öztürk, İsmail Saymaz, Oktay Ekşi, Orhan Pamuk, Selçuk Kozağaçlı, Taylan Tanay.

On trial for "violation of confidentiality":

Ahmet Şık, Bahar Kılıçgedik, Ertuğrul Mavioğlu, Hasan Çakkalkurt, İsmail Saymaz, Mustafa Dolu, Semra Pelek.

Sued for "influencing the judiciary":

Ahmet Can Karahasanoğlu, Hasan Çakkalkurt, İsmail Saymaz, Kenan Kıran, Mustafa Dolu, Oral Çalışlar, Rıdvan Kaya, Semra Pelek, Sezgin Tanrıkulu, Yasemin Çongar.

Charged with "praising crime":

Ercan Atay, Fehmi Korkmaz, Ferhat Tunç, M. Kemal Çelik, Maşallah Korkmaz, Pınar Sağ.

Allegations of "alienating the public from military service:

Ahmet Aydemir, Davut Erkan, Fatih Tezcan, Halil Savda, Mehmet Atak.

Tried under Article 301: Osman Baydemir and Temel Demirer.

At court for alleged "incitement to hatred and hostility: Ahmet Altan and Orhan Miroğlu.

Prosecuted for speaking Kurdish: Ahmet Türk

Alleged "propaganda for an illegal organization": Şiar Rişvanoğlu

Charged for "insult of the presinet": Barış Yarkadaş

Tired for opposing the Law on Crimes against Atatürk: Neşe Düzel.

Complainants who won at the ECHR:

Nevin Berktaş, Elif Çamyar, Ünsal Öztürk, Faruk Temel, Güler Menteş and ten detainees of the Tekirdağ F Type Prison and the Bolu Prison.  (EÖ/VK)