Journalist Çakar Faces 20 Years in Jail

The prosecutor of the 6^th High Criminal Court of Diyarbakır (south-eastern Turkey) demanded a prison sentence of 20 years for Gurbet Çakar, editorial manager of the Renge Heviya Jine women magazine. Çakar is tried on the grounds of news, articles and photographs published in the only women magazine in Turkey publishing in Kurdish and Turkish.

In the hearing on 7 October, the Public Prosecutor presented his final speech. He demanded Çakar's punishment under charges of "membership of the PKK", the militant Kurdistan Workers Party, and "spreading propaganda for the PKK via the media".

Prosecutor: Crime committed on behalf of an illegal organization

Çakar was detained in March after she had given her statement to the Diyarbakır Public Prosecutor. She is detained at the Diyarbakır prison ever since.

Çakar attended the hearing together with her lawyer Servet Özen. The prosecutor claimed that Çakar "disseminated organizational propaganda" in ten articles and photographs published in the 5^th edition of the magazine.

According to the prosecutor's final submission, an investigation into the magazine's contents of the 2^nd and 4^th edition was launched. Nevertheless, Çakar, as the editorial manger, did not alter the publication policies of the magazine and continued to spread organizational propaganda as if the magazine was a publication organ of the PKK, the prosecutor stated.

Decision expected for 30 December

Çakar pleaded for her acquittal, her lawyer Özen demanded her client's release pending trial and requested additional time to prepare the final defence speech.

The court dismissed the lawyer's request for Çakar's release. Özen was allowed additional time until 30 December. The court may reach a decision in the coming hearing. (EÖ/VK)