Journalist Çiftçi Receives 12 Months of Prison

Van 5th High Criminal Court found journalist Hamidiye Çiftçi guilty for “disclosing the identities of terror law enforcement officers” in an article published 5 years ago regarding police violence on Cüneyt Ertuş (14), sentencing her to 12 months of prison.

The indictment prepared by Mehmet Ali Canavcı from Van 5th Special Duty Prosecutor’s Office accused journalist Çiftçi of publishing bogus information on the health condition of Ertuş and eventually propagating “terrorism on a national level”. Çiftçi’s article informed that Ertuş had a broken arm even though a medical report by a panel of 4 doctors stated the opposite. 

On the last hearing of the trial, Van 5th High Criminal Court found Çiftçi guilty of disclosing the identity of a law enforcement officer within the protection of Turkey’s Anti-Terror Act, sentencing her to 12 months of prison. The court suspended the prison sentence. 

Reacting upon the verdict, journalist Hamdiye Çiftçi said she didn’t deserve the sentence and will submit an appeals application to Van 6th High Criminal Court.  

“The verdict is against procedures and regulations. My charges are not longer valid in the judicial system. Latest judicial reforms (publicly known as 3rd and 4th judicial packages) made related amendments. This sentence is not on me, but on press and expression freedom,” she said. 

On July 16, Çiftçi will stand trial again in KCK Hakkari case - which is expected to end on that hearing. (EA/BM)