Women journalists' group launches petition for Ayşegül Doğan

The Coalition for Women in Journalism (CFWIJ) has launched a petition for TV journalist Ayşegül Doğan, who faces "terrorism-related" charges over her meetings and interviews with politicians from the Democratic Society Congress (DTK), which is prosecuted for its alleged connections to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

In the hearing on October 7, the prosecutor demanded a prison sentence of from 7.5 to 15 years for Doğan on the grounds of "membership of an illegal organization."

CLICK - Journalist Ayşegül Doğan faces up to 15 years in prison

Doğan was the program coordinator of İMC TV, which was shut down by a statutory decree during the state of emergency following the coup attempt in 2016.

"We are utterly concerned that yet again another journalist who performs her duties in the best sense despite all threats and pressure, is facing 'punishment'," the CFWIJ stated in the petition.

"The indictment claimed that the Democratic Society Congress (DTK) was 'the 3rd leg of Abdullah Öcalan's [PKK leader] four-leg-paradigm and functioned as a so-called founding parliament.' It was claimed that DTK "was founded by the orders of Abdullah Öcalan to realize the strategy of democratic autonomy," it noted, adding that the notes Doğan took during her interviews with Öcalan's attorneys were added to the indictment as evidence of accusations against her.

"The Coalition For Women In Journalism stands with Ayşegül and her fair reporting. Legal harassment of journalists through the weaponization of the law should no longer be used by the Turkish authorities and fundamental rights as prescribed by the European Convention of Human Rights should be respected.

"We demand that the charges against Ayşegül Doğan are immediately dropped and call upon international organizations to stand in solidarity with her. Her imprisonment would result in further stifling of press freedoms in Turkey causing a deep wound in the country's democracy." (VK)