Journalist Yasin Kobulan Sentenced to 1 Year, 6 Months, 22 Days in Prison

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Being charged with "repeatedly propagandizing for a terrorist organization", Yasin Kobulan, a reporter working for the Mezopotamya Agency (MA), had his final hearing at the İstanbul 30th Heavy Penal Court today (March 8).

Announcing its judgement, the court has ruled that Kobulan shall be sentenced to 1 year, 6 months and 22 days in prison on the charged offense. The announcement of the verdict has been suspended.

Prosecutor repeated his opinion as to accusations

While Yasin Kobulan did not appear before the court, his attorneys Özcan Kılıç and Sercan Korkmaz attended the hearing.

The final hearing of Kobulan was also followed by legists from the Trial Observation Program of Columbia University, Caroline Stockford from the International Press Institute (IPI) and Academics for Peace.

The prosecutor repeated his previous opinion as to the accusation and demanded that the journalist be penalized as per the Article 7/2 of the Anti-Terror Law (TMK) for his social media posts.

CLICK - Opinion as to Accusations in Case of Journalist Kobulan

"Where will we position journalism if we call this terror propaganda?"

Attorney Özcan Kılıç stated that his client posted the social media messages in question as a journalist: 

"In other words, Kobulan is not a person living with the aim of making propaganda. In the opinion as to the accusations announced by the prosecutor, there are only the headlines of the news, not their content.

"Moreover, the news shared by Kobulan were not reported by him, they were reported by the agency that he works for. Kobulan was a reporter working in the region during that period. For none of these news, a lawsuit was filed against him for propaganda. Instead, they filed a lawsuit against him as per the Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK).

"If he had the aim of making propaganda, he would write not as a journalist, but would write in another capacity, he would write within the frame of organization policy. Propaganda is not made via news and verdicts cannot be given based on news headlines.

"Journalists do not use the language of bureaucracy or law. They use the language of journalism. In its judgements, the European Court of Human Rights says that news language cannot be considered propaganda in itself. If we call these news propaganda, then, where will we position journalism?"

Prison sentence of 1 year, 6 months, 22 days

Announcing its verdict after listening the statements of defense of attorneys Kılıç and Korkmaz, the court board ruled that journalist Yasin Kobulan shall be sentenced to 1 year, 6 months and 22 days in prison on charge of "repeatedly propagandizing for a terrorist organization."

The announcement of the verdict has been suspended. (TP/SD)