Are they not journalists, but terrorists?

Click to read the article in Turkish

* Behind bars in Van Prison since May 2016, journalist Nedim Türfent has been writing for bianet on his column "Pêgermok", which means "pacing back and forth" in Kurdish. If you want to send Nedim a letter, you can send it to the following address: Van Yüksek Güvenlikli C.İ.K. A-44 Van

There has been a problem of arrested journalists in our country ever since I can remember, just as there have been those who deny it. If only this remained limited to anyone's lifetime as this issue has become a century-old shackle, a rusty choke, a monstrosity for the country. Just like the ones running the country in the past, the current administration rejects it as well.

They are not journalists-writers-cartoonists, they are traitors-terrorists. This may definitely be the "sore point" of almost every journalist who has been doing their job with great physical and mental effort.

But are they not journalists, but terrorists?

They may be right. One needs to see the file and know the people. Those who do know it so little. If the ones who do not know do not have an objection, I would like to highlight some points about my own file.

It led to no changes in my file

As is known by everyone, the Hakkari 2nd Heavy Penal Court, in the detailed ruling of the prison sentence, wrote "...because he had made disturbing news", thereby confessing that journalism was actually punished.

Let's remember... An addition was made to the judicial package in 2019. The addition read as follows: "The remarks for journalistic purposes do not constitute a crime even though they are disturbing or shocking."

The Constitutional Court (as well as the European Court of Human Rights / ECtHR) has several precedent rulings and judicial opinions within this direction, including the ruling on the Academic for Peace.

(Let me place a particular focus here: The violations were admitted after the coup attempt, but it was blamed on the FETÖ. Mehdi Eker said that they intentionally used disproportional force. In other words, the news about violations were confirmed, in a sense. Having said that, this has made no change in the 'fate' of my file, heaven knows why.)

I will not give any more details as it has already become boring; however, the court board overstepped the limit so terribly that it has become necessary to put another emphasis here.

The court didn't hold back

The court board commented that "it should be like this and he should write like this", attempting to describe what journalism is and causing a grave violation. So, what you do and do not write makes you a terrorist.

What a farce! A subject of black comedy...

In my opinion, they did not do it recklessly, but did and wrote it knowingly and willingly. It must be because of this that they emphasized in the detailed ruling that the profession of journalism was punished.

While they were molding the file of the case, they did not hold back at all. They were free with journalistic activities.

Intentionally... Knowingly and willingly...

What would they say? "They are not journalists, they are terrorists!"

Then, wasn't the heavy penal court supposed to list the reasons and evidence - in whatever way they like - in the detailed ruling to explain why they saw the defendant as a 'terrorist', rather than a journalist?

Search all you want; evidence is not there.

Our court board in Hakkari was either very inexperienced or it was bold enough to show that journalism was punished. If there is still someone who doubts that journalism is punished, let's ask them:

How many times do you think the detailed ruling refers to journalism and journalistic activities? Because if the defendant is a terrorist, it should hardly refer to them, by nature. How many times in total?

It would be too abstract if I said, 'Too many to count.' And as if I had not had a better thing to do, I counted them one by one. I have made them concrete. As is required by the chemistry of my profession...

As if counting my beads, I noted them all one by one. Let's see how many times the below expressions are cited:

• Journalist/ Journalism: 66 times
• News : 75 times
• Interview : 54 times
• Photo: 146 times
• Video/ Image: 46 times
• DİHA Editor/ Reporter: 43 times
• Press/ Publication: 65 times
• Media/ Sharing: 142 times

It is something human, I have taken the margin of error into account for these numbers. 97 percent of these expressions were used by the prosecutor or the judge. So, by the court board... What else can I say?

If I could talk...

(NT/Lİ/EMK/SD)