Restriction on jailed journalist Nedim Türfent’s meetings with his lawyers

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The Van Judgeship of Execution has restricted the meetings of jailed journalist Nedim Türfent and his lawyers for 3 months.

As per this ruling, the meetings between Türfent and his lawyers will be recorded and they will have an official with them during the meetings.

In justifying the restriction, the judgeship has indicated that the note given by his lawyer to Türfent "may jeopardize the prison security". The note passed to Türfent by his lawyer was about a request for translating the writings that he penned in prison for an academic project.

Prison administration requested it

As reported by the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), Nedim Türfent met his lawyers at the Van High Security Closed Prison on December 7, 2021. The prison directorate "hesitated" on whether the notes given by his lawyer to Türfent were documents of defense. It sent the documents to the Van Judgeship of Execution for examination two weeks later.

In sending the documents, the directorate attached a note where it also referred to the Anti-Terror Law (TMK). In its note addressed to the judgeship of execution, the prison directorate mentioned the possibility that "information, findings or documents might be obtained to suggest that the security of society and the penal institution was jeopardized; the terrorist organization or other criminal organizations were directed; orders and instructions were given to these organizations or overt, covert or coded messages, along with their comments, were sent to them during the meetings of the ones convicted of TMK-related charges with their lawyers."

The prison directorate demanded an examination to find our whether the notes that their lawyers wanted to give to Nedim Türfent could be given to him and to determine whether it was necessary to restrict and monitor their meetings for a period of three months.

The Van Chief Public Prosecutor's Office concluded that the notes sent by the Prison Directorate were not "documents of defense."

According to the Van Chief Prosecutor's Office, the notes mentioned that "a PhD student from New York University and a journalist would like to translate the writings of convict Nedim Türfent as part of a project that they translate the articles of arrestees/convicts in Turkey's penal institutions" and "asked the convict whether he could send his articles to them."

The prosecutor's office argued that "sending the documents to the related people would lead to an illegal and irregular flow of information outside the institution" and alleged that "it might jeopardize the security of the penal institution." Accordingly, the office demanded that the meetings between Nedim Türfent and his lawyers be recorded for a period of three months, they have an official with them during the meetings and the meetings be restricted so that they will be held on certain days and at certain hours. The office also demanded the seizure of the related notes.

Judgeship has accepted the requests

In its ruling dated January 7, 2022, the Van Judgeship of Execution has accepted the requests of the Van Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.

The judgeship has ruled that the meetings between Türfent and his lawyers shall be subjected to audio or video recording for a period of three months; an official shall be present to monitor the meetings; the notes, files, documents and document samples exchanged by them shall be seized and the meetings shall be restricted in such a way that a one-hour meeting will be held on one working day and during working hours.

Nedim Türfent's lawyer has indicated that this ruling is openly against the Attorney's Act and lodged an appeal against it.

(HA/SD)