Detention Period of Journalist Ece Sevim Öztürk Extended

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The detention period of journalist Ece Sevim Öztürk, who is the chief editor of the Çağdaş Ses (Contemporary Voice) news website, has been extended for another week.

Öztürk was taken into custody on June 8 around 2.30 a.m. and taken to the İstanbul Security Directorate. Her attorney Efkan Bolaç announced yesterday (June 13) that the detention period of his client Öztürk has been extended for another seven days.

What happened?

Journalist Ece Sevim Öztürk, the chief editor of Çağdaş Ses news website, which reports news from the coulisses of the main opposition party Republican People's Party (CHP), was detained on June 8, 2018.

In its news report about the detention of its chief editor Ece Sevim Öztürk, the Çağdaş Ses reported that the Oda TV news website and the pro-government Yeni Şafak newspaper previously targeted Öztürk with the allegation that she has ties with the FETÖ (Fethullahist Terrorist Organization), which is held responsible for the failed coup attempt staged on July 15, 2016.

Before her detention on June 8, Ece Sevim Öztürk responded to the news report of Yeni Şafak newspaper on Twitter and posted the following tweet about her photograph used in the related news report:

"The attitude towards women in this country will certainly change one day. A woman cannot be successful at her job, she cannot think or do research on her own. To support this attitude, they say, 'Let's find a picture of this 30-year old woman, which was taken when she was 20 years old and on a vacation, so that we can make people say, 'Ah, she is just a child, she does not understand' :))" (AS/SD)