HEARING ON SEPTEMBER 30
TİHV-HRFT calls for solidarity ahead of ‘Özgür Gündem’ retrial
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The Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV-HRFT) has released a written statement ahead of the hearing of Turkish Medical Association (TTB) Chair Şebnem Korur-Fincancı, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Representative to Turkey Erol Önderoğlu and writer-journalist Ahmet Nesin, who have been standing trial on the grounds that they were the Editors-in-Chief on Watch at the closed Özgür Gündem newspaper.
Summarizing the legal process so far, the TİHV-HRFT has underlined that the acquittal of Korur-Fincancı, Önderoğlu and Nesin was overturned by the court of appeals and they are now on retrial.
Referring to the ruling of rights violation given by the Constitutional Court for the closure of the Özgür Gündem by a Statutory Decree, the Foundation has noted that this has added a new dimension to the trial.
The TİHV-HRFT has called on everyone to meet at the courtroom on September 30 "in order to foster solidarity by standing side by side, lay claim to freedom of expression and press and show once again how weak this process is and how valuable seeking justice is in the face of this."
The Foundation has also announced that a press statement will be held in front of the İstanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan at 12 pm before the hearing with the participation of the TTB and Human Rights Association (İHD) İstanbul Branch executives and members as well as the representatives from the RSF and its sections from Britain and Germany.
"We have no doubts that this meeting that will bring our hands, hearts and consciences together will not only remind us that we are not alone, but it will also make us more hopeful for the future in terms of human rights and freedoms," the TİHV-HRFT statement has said further.
Özgür Gündem TrialsThe Editors-in-Chief on Watch campaign of Özgür Gündem daily began on May 3, 2016 and ended on August 7, 2016. The newspaper was closed by the Statutory Decree No. 675 issued under the State of Emergency. Investigations were filed against 49 of 56 editors-in-chief on watch, 11 of them have ended in verdicts of non-prosecution and 38 files have turned into lawsuits. Relying on the Articles 7(2) and 6(2) of the Anti-Terror Law No. 3713, the 38 Editors-in-Chief on Watch stood trial on the charge of "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" and for "publishing and spreading statements of terrorist organizations. Cases in which court ruled no prosecutionİhsan Eliaçık, Sebahat Tuncel, Ahmet Abakay, Eşber Yağmurdereli, Hasip Kaplan, Işın Eliçin, Kemal Can, Mustafa Sönmez, Melda Onur, Uğur Karadaş, Nurcan Baysal. 1 of 38 cases droppedLawsuits were filed against 38 people, one of them has dropped. That is, as the charges brought against Deniz Türkali violated statutory limitations, they have been dropped. 188 months, 15 days in prison and 67 thousand TRY fineIn the trial of Editors-in-Chief on Watch, the court has announced its ruling on 34 people, namely: Şanar Yurdatapan, İbrahim Bodur, Cengiz Baysoy, Hüseyin Tahmaz, Çilem Küçükkeleş, Nadire Mater, Yıldırım Türker, Hasan Cemal, Faruk Balıkçı, Dicle Anter, Derya Okatan, Kumru Başer, Ayşe Batumlu, Jülide Kural, Murat Uyurkulak, Murat Çelikkan, Beyza Üstün, Nevin Erdemir, Hakkı Boltan, Hasan Hayri Şanlı, Tuğrul Eryılmaz, Hüseyin Aykol, Ayşe Düzkan, Ragıp Duran, Öncü Akgül, İhsan Çaralan, Ertuğrul Mavioğlu, Celal Başlangıç, Celalettin Can, Fehim Işık and Faruk Eren. 7 acquittalsThe court has given a ruling of acquittal for the following 7 people: Erol Önderoğlu, Şebnem Korur Fincancı, Ahmet Nesin, Hasan Hayri Şanlı, Nevin Erdemir, Hüseyin Tahmaz and Hakkı Boltan. 27 people sentenced to 293 months, 15 days in total27 people have been sentenced to 67 thousand TRY and 293 months and 15 days.
Cases of 3 people still continueCan Dündar, Said Sefa and Veysi Alta Kızılkaya's casesÖzgür Gündem Managing Editor İnan Kızılkaya is defendant in all 38 cases. His case was separated from the others in the trials together with the other Editors-in-Chief on Watch. İstanbul 23rd Heavy Criminal Court is combining Kızılkaya's case with the main trial. Lawsuits against 9 columnistsLawsuits were filed against the columnists of the newspaper Ömer Ağın, İmam Canpolat, İlham Bakır, Mehmet Şirin Taşdemir, Veysel Kemer, Yüksel Oğuz, Dilşah Kocakaya, Mehmet Ali Çelebi and Hüseyin Bektaş. Dilşah Kocakaya, İmam Canpolat and İlham Bakır have been sentenced to 15 months in prison each. While the prison term of Bakır has been deferred, those of Canpolat and Kocakaya have not been. Mehmet Ali Çelebi and Hüseyin Bektaş have been each sentenced to 1 year, 6 months in prison. The prison sentences have not been deferred. Özgür Gündem main trialIn the main trial, Özgür Gündem Consultant Board members Necmiye Alpay, Aslı Erdoğan, Ragıp Zarakolu, Filiz Koçali, Eren Keskin, Editors-in-Chief Zana Kaya, İnan Kızılkaya, Kemal Sancılı and Bilge Oykut are standing trial. In the hearing of the main trial held on April 10, 2019, the board of the İstanbul 23rd Heavy Penal Court ruled that Kemal Sancılı, the Grant Holder of the newspaper, should be released as he was convicted and sentenced to prison in another trial heard by the İstanbul 13th Heavy Penal Court. Sancılı is still behind bars. Moreover, while Eren Keskin is standing trial in 47 cases as the former permanent Editor-in Chief of Özgür Gündem, Hüseyin Aykol is standing trial in 38 cases as the former permanent Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper. |
(HA/SD)