Interim Judgement in Social Media Trial: Çelik Released, Öğreten, Kanaat Remain in Detention on Remand

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The six journalists who have been sued for reporting on the emails of Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Berat Albayrak leaked by the hacktivist group RedHack stood trial today (October 24).

The journalists are being charged with "being a member of an armed terrorist organization", "propagandizing for a terrorist organization", "blocking, damaging information system" and "altering or destroying data".

Court passing the interim judgement on the trial of six journalists ruled that defendant Çelik be released and Öğreten and Kanaat remain in detention on remand

The hearing that was held before İstanbul 29th Heavy Criminal Court. Many journalists and acquaintances of the defendants were not allowed in since the hearing was held in the small court room.

Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Berat Albayrak has also requested to attend the trial.

Diken newsite's former editor Tunca Öğreten, closed Dicle News Agency (DİHA) News Director Ömer Çelik, BirGün daily newspaper staff Mahir Kanaat who were in detention, as well as DİHA correspondent Metin Yoksu, Yolculuk newspaper Editor-in-Chief Eray Sargın and ETHA Managing Editor Derya Okatan attended the hearing.

Öğreten, Çelik and Kanaat have been behind bars for 304.

Defendant Derya Okatan was the first defendant to give statement of defence.

Okatan: "I defend the people's right to learn about 'state secrets'"

Before beginning his statement of defence, Okatan has reminded that his attorneys were taken into custody on October 19 and said:
"While preparing for the trial, my attorneys were taken into custody a few days ago. [...] We could only prepare for the hearing at the last minute. That was an interference with my right to defence.

"If the state has actions which it doesn't want the people to know about, it transforms these into 'state secret'. In Turkey, state secrets consist of crimes committed against the people. I am a journalist, who supports the idea that the people learn about these secrets".

Sargın: Being tried for performing journalism

Eray Sargın, making his defence following Okatan said that talking about this content which was considered a crime by the prosecutor's office, identified as news and that it would not make sense to remain silent about these issues when they had already been covered by other media outlets in the rest of the world which grants them the quality of being newsworthy.

Yoksun: No propaganda, just news

Metin Yoksu making his statement of defence after Sargın said the Tweets they had posted consisted of news already posted in other news agencies.

Against claims of propaganda due to the expression of "guerilla" used in the tweets, Yoksu said:

"To determine propaganda, there should be an act of praising, but there isn't".

Çelik: I will make no statement of defence but only a statement

Speaking after Yoksu Ömer Çelik, one of the defandants in detention on remand said:

"[...] I would like to make my statement in Kurdish which is my mother tongue" and added that they were made to lay on the ground and tortured.

While being taken into custody, Çelik had been beaten by police officers asking "Why did you make these reports?".

Kanaat: "We learned about the accusations from Sabah daily"

Mahir Kanaat making his statement of defence following Çelik underlined that while being taken into custody, they had been told that their depositions would be taken when collecting evidence was completed and noted that there was an sealing order on the file and they learned about the accusations against them from Sabah daily.

"I have been kept in prison for 10 months though being not quilty and for no reason", Kanaat added.

Öğreten: "Accused for reporting on leaked mails

Tunca Öğreten who was also among the defendants in detention on remand, made the last statement of defence in the hearing and reminded that he was being charged for reporting on the emails of Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Berat Albayrak leaked by the hacktivist group RedHack and said:

"Not the ones who steal the wallet, but the ones who report about it, are being tried".

Chief judge of the trial is the judge ruling Deniz Yücel, Aslı Erdoğan be arrested among other journalists

The chief judge of the trial held before İstanbul 29th Heavy Criminal Court is Mustafa Çakar.

Çakar was the judge who ruled that the defendants in Cumhuriyet trial, journalist Meşale Tolu, Die Welt reporter Deniz Yücel and Özgür Gündem Consultant Board member Aslı Erdoğan be arrested in previous trials of the journalists.

(EA/DG)