Journalists Have Four Days to Object!

The journalists, whose pronouncement of judgements have been postponed in media trials, will be able to appeal against the decisions taken about them until 9 August following the amendment to the Law of Criminal Procedures on 25 July.

According to the Turkish Journalists'  Society, the rule of postponing the pronouncement of judgements in case of crimes that require up to two years in prison, will now only apply with the condition that the defendant accepts the postponement.

Journalists' Society of Turkey: No postponement without journalists' consent

The Turkish Journalists' Society has been arguing that the "postponement of the pronouncement of the judgement" amounts to supervising freedom of expression, and that the journalists' right to say "I am innocent" is taken away. The Society has been successful in having the article amended. This article now, will only apply in the case of the defendant's consent.

According to the amendment, the journalists, whose judgements have been postponed will be able to make an appeal until 9 August and demand that the decision is changed.

With the amendments, it is now at the discretion of the court to postpone prison sentences, convert prison sentences to fines or other sanctions. According to the Turkish Journalists'  Society, the most important outcome of the amendments is the fact that now, defendants have the right to apply to the High Court of Appeals and appeal against the decision.

Journalists whose judgements have been postponed...

Writer Nazli Ilicak of the daily Sabah, had been sentenced to 11 months and 20 days in prison for "insulting" the Sincan judge in Ankara, Osman Kacmaz, "through a publication." Her punishment had been postoned in return of probation.

Sevket Demir, an official of the Birecik'in Sesi (Birecik's Voice) newspaper had written about the maltreatment of a police officer in an article titled, "Are you a police officer or a master?" He had been sentenced to three months in prison. The court had postponed the pronouncement of the judgement.

Not only journalists...

Seyhmuz Seyhan, a candidate in the municipal elections for the Izmir Gaziemir mayoralty from the closed-down Democratic Society Party had been handed a punishment for talking to his constituents in Kurdish. He decided to take his case to the European Court of Human Rights.

After Seyhan had been sentenced to six months in prison, the court decided that the judgement would be pronounced. (EO)