Feyza Nur Çalıkoğlu, a reporter for the daily Karar, has been acquitted of charges of "publicly disseminating misleading information" over a news report on alleged rights violations at the Çatalca Removal Center in İstanbul.
The court rejected the prosecutor’s demand for a prison sentence and ruled in favor of press freedom.
At the hearing held on Feb 26 at the 2nd Penal Court of First Instance at the Çağlayan Courthouse in İstanbul, two lawyers quoted in Çalıkoğlu’s report, Abdülhalim Yılmaz and Beyza Bengisu Akyüz, who represent migrants held at the center, testified as witnesses.
BIA Media Monitoring Reports
'There are recorded violations'
Yılmaz told the court that the statements in the article were his own and had been reviewed by him before publication. “Feyza Nur Çalıkoğlu reported the information she received from me,” he said.
“We usually avoid sharing information with the press to protect our clients, but when we are confident in the accuracy of what we know, we do speak out," the lawyer added. "We have filed complaints with the Constitutional Court, the Human Rights and Equality Institution of Turkey, the CİMER [Presidential Communication Center], and prosecutors regarding the rights violations our clients have faced. There are court records tied to those applications as well.”
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'Accounts of clients are consistent'
Beyza Bengisu Akyüz, also testifying, said she has long worked in the field of migrant and refugee rights. Through her work, she had the opportunity to hear firsthand accounts from foreign nationals held in administrative detention at removal centers.
According to Akyüz, detainees at the centers were unable to access basic hygiene products, facilities were overcrowded, and people were coerced into signing so-called “voluntary return” forms.
She stressed that these issues were not isolated cases. “The accounts I’ve heard from my clients, who have stayed in different removal centers at various times, are consistent with one another."
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In her final statement, Çalıkoğlu said she did not accept the prosecutor’s opinion on the merits of the case and requested her acquittal.
After reviewing the defenses and witness testimonies, the court ruled that the legal elements of the alleged offense had not been established and acquitted Çalıkoğlu. (HA/VK)
