MEDIA

Date published: 4 September 2007 11:25

~ Modified On: 30 October 2013 00:13

2 min Read

Article 302 Joins 301

Journalist Yetisgen, who was arrested at the beginning of August, is going to be tried for "damaging the integrity of the country".

Erol Önderoğlu

Yasin Yetisgen, the owner and responsible manager of the weekly "Coban Atesi" (Shepherd's Fire) newspaper in Gaziantep, southern Turkey, is going to be tried at a Heavy Penal Court in Adana for publishing an article which contained the expression "Northern Kurdistan".

"Northern Kurdistan"

In an article entitled "Antep and the Shepherd's Fire" published on 2 August 2007, it said: "With a population of around two million, Antep is the biggest metropole of Northern Kurdistan. ...In addition, Antep is and should be considered Northern Kurdistan's Istanbul because of its rich culture."

The newspaper issue was confiscated and Yetisgen was arrested as a "precautionary measure". An arrest warrant was also issued for writer of the article, Hursit Kasikkirmaz, who lives abroad.

Article 302 instead of Article 8

Article 8 of the Anti-Terrorism Law, which had penalised "the spreading of separatist propaganda" had been abolished on 15 July 2003. This Article had often been used to prevent the use of the term "Kurdistan".

Now, Article 302, which deals with "damaging the state's unity and integrity", is being used, and this is the article that Yetisgen will be tried under.
The Article says:"Anyone who submits part or all of the state's territory to the sovereignty of a foreign state, who damages the state's unity, who separates part of the state territory from state administration, who commits actions which weaken the state's independence, shall be punished with a life sentence..."

The case has been transferred from the Gaziantep to the Adana Public Prosecution. It is not clear yet when Yetisgen will appear in court. (EÖ/AG)

Origin

Bıa news centre

Erol Önderoğlu

erolonderoglu@gmail.com

all articles of the author

İstanbul Üniversitesi Fransız Filolojisi Bölümü'nden mezun. 1996'da muhabiri olduğu uluslararası Sınır Tanımayan Gazeteciler (RSF) örgütünün Türkiye temsilcisi olarak çalışıyor. 1999'dan beri İPS İletişim Vakfı'nın projesi olan bianet sitesinde, Hukuki Destek Masası koordinatörü, ifade özgürlüğü editörü ve yayın yönetmeni olarak çalıştı. 4.800'den fazla imzalı haber ve makalesi bulunuyor. Bizim Gazete ve Güncel Hukuk dergisi için haber ve makaleler yazdı. Halen bianet'te Medya Gözlem Raporları'nı hazırlıyor.

Turkish Constitution (English)

Journalism groups demand release of Swedish reporter detained in Turkey

Five journalism and freedom of expression organizations, all partners in the Media Freedom Rapid Response, have issued a joint statement calling for the immediate release of Joakim Medin.

BIA News Desk

TRTürkçesini Oku

BIA News Desk

TRTürkçesini Oku

Journalism groups demand release of Swedish reporter detained in Turkey — Joakim Medin (ect.se)

This statement was originally published on the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom website.

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners strongly condemn the arrest of Swedish journalist Joakim Medin on terrorism charges in Turkey and call for his immediate release. This is the latest incident amidst the ongoing crackdown on press freedom in which dozens of journalists have been arrested and beaten.

On 27 March 2025, Joakim Medin, a regular contributor to the Swedish daily newspaper Dagens ETC and member of the Swedish Union of Journalists (SJF), was travelling to cover the widespread protests against the recent arrest of Istanbul Mayor and presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu. Medin was detained by police shortly after landing in Istanbul.

On 30 March, the Turkish authorities confirmed in a statement that he had been charged with being a “member of an armed terrorist organisation” and “insulting the President”, stating that “the detention order is unrelated to his journalistic activities”.

The charges stem from an investigation launched in 2023 by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office Terrorism Crimes Investigation Bureau related to what they claimed was Medin’s participation in a protest in Stockholm, in which a puppet of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was hung by its feet. His participation was promptly denied by the organisers of the protest.

According to the Swedish Union of Journalists (SJF), Medin has been transferred to Marmara Prison in Silivri, a high-security prison where political prisoners are being detained.

The arrest is the latest case in a rapidly worsening crackdown on press freedom in the wake of nationwide protests. Since the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu on 19 March, the MFRR has documented over 13 journalists arrested, of whom at least seven have been charged with violating the law on meetings and demonstrations. At least 12 journalists have been victims of police violence. Moreover, the broadcast regulator has issued numerous fines against broadcasters, including one temporary broadcasting ban and threatened to withdraw licences from media that do not rely solely on official sources.

The MFRR strongly condemns the unjustified arrest of Medin, calls for his immediate release, and for the charges against him and all other journalists to be dropped. We further call on the Turkish authorities to allow all foreign journalists, including foreign correspondents, to work freely and document ongoing events in Turkey in the name of the right to freedom of information.

The MFRR will continue to monitor Medin’s situation closely and continue to advocate for all journalists detained as a result of the crackdown on the press.

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