Lawsuit Against Journalist Hasan Cemal for Article That He Wrote 3 Years Ago

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The first hearing of the lawsuit, which was filed against journalist Hasan Cemal on charge of "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" due to his article entitled "From Silvan: They have so accustomed us to deaths" published on T24 news website on December 4, 2015, was held at the İstanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan today (January 3).

In 2015, Hasan Cemal went to the district of Silvan in Diyarbakır, met and talked to three people and wrote an article afterwards. While the three people, whom Cemal interviewed three years ago, have been acquitted in the lawsuits filed against them, Cemal had his first hearing today.

In his written petition to the board of the 36th Heavy Penal Court, attorney Fikret İlkiz stated that in the article that his client Hasan Cemal penned three years ago, the journalist recounted his observations and interviews that he made with Gülsüma Güçer, Mehmet Ali Dünser and the then Silvan Co-Mayor Zuhal Tekiner when he went to Silvan.

Emphasizing that Güçer and Tekiner, whose names are mentioned in the article of Cemal, were acquitted of the charges which were pressed against them by the Diyarbakır 4th Heavy Penal Court, attorney İlkiz requested that his client Hasan Cemal be also acquitted.

Rejecting the request for acquittal, the court board ruled that a writ shall be issued to the Diyarbakır 4th Heavy Penal Court to request the minutes of the hearing of Güçer and Tekiner, the justified ruling (if it has been announced) and a copy of the judgement (if it has been finalized).

The next hearing of Hasan Cemal will be held on April 16, 2019.

Cemal: It was an article defending peace

Appearing before the judge, Hasan Cemal rejected the charge brought against him with following remarks:

"I have written four books and thousands of articles and essays on Kurdish question. This article was one of them. It was an article defending peace and condemning sorrows and deaths.

"The entire article is within the scope of journalistic activity and freedom of expression. Neither journalism nor freedom of expression is a crime. I have never propagandized for a terrorist organization. I request my acquittal since this article is within limits of freedom of expression."

İlkiz: Term of litigation has expired

Stating that the article of Cemal subject to lawsuit was written three years ago, attorney İlkiz also underlined that the term of litigation has expired as per the related articles of the Press Law.

(TP/SD)