Özgür Gündem’s 5 Editors-in-Chief on Watch, 1 Columnist To Stand Trial

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The trials of the five attendants of the Editor-in-Chief on Watch campaign for the closed Özgür Gündem daily will continue tomorrow (March 6).

The editors-in-chief on watch who will stand trial on March 7 are;

* Nadire Mater facing 10.5 years in prison

* Jülide Kural facing 10.5 years in prison

* İlham Bakır (columnist) facing 7.5 years in prison

* Murat Uyurkulak facing 7.5 years in prison

* Hasan Cemal facing 10.5 years in prison

* Yıldırım Türker facing 7.5 years in prison

Özgür Gündem trials will continue in March, April, May and July. Further hearings are as follows:

March 9

* Kumru Başer facing 7.5 years in prison

* Necmiye Alpay charged with "propagandizing for an [illegal] organization facing prison sentence

* Dicle Anter facing 10.5 years in prison

* Derya Okatan facing 10.5 years in prison

* Ayşe Batumlu facing 7.5 years in prison

* Faruk Balıkçı charged with "propagandizing for an [illegal] organization facing prison sentence

March 16

* Hakkı Boltan

* Nevin Erdemir

* Hasan Hayri Şanlı

March 21

* Şebnem Korur Fincancı

* Erol Önderoğlu

* Ahmet Nesin

April 18

* Hüseyin Tahmaz, 23th High Criminal Court

May 9

* Ayşe Düzkan,

* Hüseyin Akyol,

* Ragıp Duran

* M. Ali Çelebi

May 16

* Murat Çelikkan facing 7.5 years in prison

* Beyza Üstün facing 7.5 years in prison

July 4

* Ertuğrul Mavioğlu,

* Faruk Eren,

* Celal Başlangıç,

* Ömer Ağın (writer),

* İhsan Çaralan,

* Celalettin Can,

* Fehim Işık,

* Öncü Akgül

What happened?

Closed Özgür Gündem newspaper's Editor-in-Chief on Watch campaign was launched on May 3, 2016 and ended on August 7, 2016.
56 people joined the campaign.

50 of the attendees faced prosecution. Of the prosecuted, files of the 38 have been turned into cases.

50 investigations launched

50 people against whom lawsuit was filed are as follows:

Faruk Eren, Ertuğrul Mavioğlu, Ayşe Düzkan, Erol Önderoğlu, Celalettin Can, Mustafa Sönmez, Melda Onur, Fehim Işık, Celal Başlangıç, Eşber Yağmurdereli, Ragıp Duran, Nurcan Baysal, Ömer Ağın, Ahmet Abakay, İhsan Çaralan, Işın Eliçin, Murat Çelikkan, Uğur Karataş, Öncü Akgül, Ayşe Batumlu, Sebahat Tuncel, Saruhan Oluç, Nadire Mater, Beyza Üstün, Mehmet Güç, Tuğrul Eryılmaz, Faruk Balıkçı, Şeyhmus Diken, Necmiye Alpay, Jülide Kural, Yıldırım Türker, Ahmet Nesin, Kemal Can, Şebnem Korur Fincancı, Hasip Kaplan, Nevin Erdemir, Tuğrul Eryılmaz, Hakkı Boltan, Cengiz Baysoy, Kumru Başer, Veysi Altay, Hasan Hayri Şanlı, Hasan Cemal, Deniz Türkali, Dicle Anter, Çilem Küçükkeleş, Said Sefaoğlu, Aydın Engin, İhsan Eliaçık and İmam Canpolat.

38 cases

The 38 people who are facing prosecution are as follows:

A. Kumru Başer, Ahmet Nesin, Ayşe Batumlu, Ayşe Düzkan, Beyza Üstün, Can Dündar, Celal Başlangıç, Celalettin Can, Cengiz Baysoy, Çilem Küçükkkeleş, Derya Okatan, Dicle Anter, Erol Önderoğlu, Ertuğrul Mavioğlu, Faruk Balıkçı, Faruk Eren, Fehim Işık, Hüseyin Tahmaz, Hakkı Boltan, Hasan Cemal, Hasan Hayri Şanlı, İbrahim Bodur, İhsan Çaralan, Julide Kural, M. Ali Çelebi, Murat Çelikkan, Murat Uyurkulak, Nadire Mater, Necmiye Alpay, Nevin Erdemir, Öncü Akgül, Ragıp Duran, Said Sefa, Şanar Yurdatapan, Şebnem Korur Fincancı, Tuğrul Eryılmaz, Veysi Altay, Yıldırım Türker.

Cases brought against 3 writers

Legal action was taken against Ömer Ağın for an article published under the editorship of Celal Başlangıç, against İmam Canpolat for an article published under the editorship of Cengiz Baysoy and against İlham Bakır for an article published under the editorship of Jülide Kural.

Of the 36 Editors-in-Chief on Watch, Erol Önderoğlu, Ahmet Nesin and Şebnem Korur Fincancı were arrested in June 2016 and released 10 days after it.

4 editors convicted

Şanar Yurdatapan, İbrahim Bodur, Cengiz Baysoy ve Çilem Küçükkeleş were fined 1.500 euro under Article 6/2 of the Anti-Terror Law and were sentenced to 15 years in prison (deferred).

İmam Canpolat standing trial together with Baysoy was sentenced to 1 year and 3 months in prison.

Kızılkaya cases

Özgür Gündem Managing Editor İnan Kızılkaya is a suspect in all 38 cases. Kızılkaya's case is being combined with the main trial.

Özgür Gündem main trial

Özgür Gündem Consultant Board members, executives and writers Necmiye Alpay, Aslı Erdoğan, Ragıp Zarakolu, Filiz Koçali, Eren Keskin, Zana Kaya, İnan Kızılkaya, Kemal Sancılı and Bilge Oykut stand trial as a part of the main trial of Özgür Gündem daily. Kızılkaya and Sancıl are still arrested. (EA/DG)