Court Bans pro-Kurdish Newspaper

An Istanbul court temporarily banned the publication of pro-Kurdish daily Ülkede Özgür Gündem for a month following news that the ex-guerilla leader Abdullah Öcalan is being poisoned in prison. The government denied such allegations.

Erol Önderoğlu

Istanbul 13th High Criminal Court temporarily banned the publication of the pro-Kurdish daily Ülkede Özgür Gündem on two separate rulings.

The news regarding ex-guerilla leader Abdullah Öcalan being poisoned in a Turkish prison where he's condemned to a life sentence has been held as grounds for the decisions.

The journal won't be published for one month. Its lawyers said they would appeal to the ruling.

The court based its ruling on several articles of the Turkish Penal Code and the Press Law, which defines "appraisal of crime or criminals" and "propaganda of terrorist organization" as misdeeds.

"a legal intervention is necessary for the proper functioning of the democratic society", the ruling said.

"It's a legal scandal that a court can take two rulings with regard to the same case on the same day", reacted editor-in-chief of the daily Yüksel Genç.

Government denies allegations

News hit the media last week as Ocalan's lawyers disclosed that an independent laboratory found specimens of deadly chemicals on samples of hair taken from him.

It indicated that Ocalan is slowly poisoned, they claimed. The Ministry of Justice immediately refused the allegations and Ocalan was subjected to a check-up by doctors.

The medical jurisprudence report said no traces of poisoning has been detected on Öcalan, founder and long time leader of the guerilla group PKK.(EÖ/EÜ)

Origin

BÄ°A News Center

Erol Önderoğlu

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A graduate of the French Language and Literature Department at İstanbul University. He has served as the Turkey representative for the international organization Reporters Without...

A graduate of the French Language and Literature Department at İstanbul University. He has served as the Turkey representative for the international organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF), where he began as a reporter in 1996. Since 1999, he has worked at bianet, a project of the IPS Communication Foundation, as the coordinator of the Legal Support Desk, editor for freedom of expression, and editor-in-chief. He has authored more than 4,800 signed news articles and opinion pieces. He has also written for Bizim Gazete and the journal Güncel Hukuk. He currently prepares the Media Monitoring Reports at bianet.