38 press freedom organizations, journalists urge Turkey to release journalist Sedef Kabaş

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The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) and 37 press freedom organizations and journalists have called on Turkey to release journalist Sedef Kabaş, who was arrested on January 22, 2022 on charge of "insulting the President" over her words during a TV program.

Urging Turkey to release the journalist and ensure and respect press freedom, the organizations and journalists have briefly stated the following:

'Cease attacks on free press'

"Her arrest and subsequent imprisonment on a charge so frivolous reflect the dire state of press freedom in the country.

"Erdoğan, dubbed a press freedom predator by international media freedom watchdog Reporters Sans Frontiers (RSF), has propagated a hostile attitude towards journalists since he came to power.

"The country has witnessed an increasingly declining space for free speech and press freedom in the past decade, with state institutions, the law and judiciary, all weaponized against dissenting voices.

"Journalists, activists and opponents to the incumbent government as well as citizen protestors, have been dealt with a heavy hand, with police brutality, legal harassment and imprisonments becoming the norm.

In the same vein, scores of critical journalists, human rights defenders, activists and political opponents have been hit with the charge of 'insulting the president'. A conviction for this charge can carry a sentence of up to four years in jail.

"Moreover, according to Article 299 of the Turkish penal code, an added penalty may be imposed on the defendant if the insult was made in public. The law has been criticized widely but to no avail. In October 2021, the European Court of Human Rights called on Turkey to change the law but the authorities continue to weaponize this law against critics and opponents.

"The Coalition For Women In Journalism and the undersigned organizations and individuals view Sedef's arrest as an extension of the Turkish government's intolerance for free speech and media freedom.

"We call on Turkey to cease its attacks on the free press, which is essential for the success of any democracy.

"The CFWIJ and the undersigned demand the immediate release of Sedef Kabaş and condemn the fine imposed on TELE1."

What happened?

The organizations have also shared background information as to the process ending up with Sedef Kabaş's arrest:

"On January 14, 2022, while discussing President Erdoğan at a show called 'The Arena of Democracy', hosted by pro-opposition TV channel TELE1, Sedef said, 'Cattle does not become a king when it enters a palace, but the palace becomes a barn'. Her remark prompted backlash from government officials and pro-Erdoğan corners. The journalist was arrested from her home by law enforcement officers at around 2 AM on the night of January 21.

"Sedef has since clarified that she was using a proverb and maintains that it was not intended as an insult to the president. When she was produced before the courts on January 22, the court dubbed her a 'flight risk' and ordered her imprisonment. On January 26, the court rejected her lawyer's appeal for her release. The journalist is currently being held in Bakırköy Women's Prison in İstanbul. Meanwhile, TELE1 was fined for the episode for 'inciting hatred' by the country's telecommunications watchdog RTÜK, which also banned the show for five episodes.

"Sedef, a renowned political journalist, frequently appears on political talk shows and television segments hosted by the few opposition television stations remaining in Turkey. As a former television host herself, she has amassed a following for her journalistic work. She now runs her own channel on YouTube, Sedef Kabaş TV, on which she invites guests and discusses politics. The channel has over 89,000 subscribers. At least 912,000 accounts also follow the journalist on Twitter." (EMK/SD)