Amnesty Turkey: Drop the Cases Against Everyone Solidarizing with Özgür Gündem
Click to read the article in Turkish
Charged with "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" for having participated in the "Editors-in-Chief on Watch" campaign in solidarity with the closed Özgür Gündem newspaper, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Representative to Turkey and BİA Media Monitoring Reporter Erol Önderoğlu, writer Ahmet Nesin and Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV) Chair Prof. Dr. Şebnem Korur-Fincancı have been acquitted.
CLICK - Korur-Fincancı, Önderoğlu and Nesin Acquitted
In a written statement released by the Amnesty International Turkey, the unlawful aspects of the trial have been underlined. Amnesty International's Turkey Campaigner Milena Buyum has stated the following:
'A relief that their ordeal is finally over'
"It is a relief that this ordeal for Şebnem Korur Fincancı, Erol Önderoğlu and Ahmet Nesin is finally over.
"After almost three years of a baseless prosecution, these three human rights defenders, who stood up for press freedom by expressing solidarity with persecuted journalists, have finally been acquitted.
'Absurd charges intended to intimidate'
"It was clear from the start that this case should never have seen the light of day. The absurd charges levelled against them, and scores of others who also took part in the solidarity campaign, were clearly intended to silence and intimidate rights defenders, journalists, and wider civil society in Turkey.
'Drop the cases immediately'
"Whilst we celebrate their acquittal, others who also expressed solidarity with the Özgür Gündem newspaper, were convicted and some have even served their sentences. The authorities must immediately drop the cases against everyone who has been charged and end the judicial harassment of human rights defenders in Turkey."
Trials of Özgür Gündem Editors-in-Chief on WatchThe Editors-in-Chief on Watch campaign of Özgür Gündem daily began on May 3, 2016 and ended on August 7, 2016. Daily was closed through the Statutory Decree No. 675 issued under the State of Emergency. Investigations were launched against 50 of the 56 Editors-in-Chief on Watch who had participated in the campaign. In 11 of these cases, the court ordered not to prosecute and in 38 cases, a lawsuit was filed. One case was dismissed due to expiration of the Statute of Limitation in the investigation Relying on the Articles 7(2) and 6(2) of the Anti-Terror Law No. 3713, the 38 Editors-in-Chief on Watch stood trial on charge of "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" and for "publishing and spreading statements of terrorist organizations." Cases in which court ruled no prosecution İhsan Eliaçık, Sebahat Tuncel, Ahmet Abakay, Eşber Yağmurdereli, Hasip Kaplan, Işın Eliçin, Kemal Can, Mustafa Sönmez, Melda Onur, Uğur Karadaş, Nurcan Baysal. Editors-in-Chief on Watch, against whom lawsuits were brought 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, 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. * Deniz Türkali's case was dismissed due to expiration of the Statute of Limitation in the investigation. * The cases of Özgür Gündem daily's former editor-in-Chief Hüseyin Aykol, columnists Mehmet Ali Çelebi and Hüseyin Bektaş, who were on duty during the campaign, were combined with the cases of Düzkan, Duran and Çelebi. The 38 Editors-in-Chief on Watch have stood trial / are standing on charge of "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" and for "publishing and spreading statements of terrorist organizations under the Articles 7(2) and 6(2) of the Anti-Terror Law No. 3713. Cases brought against 9 writers Lawsuits were filed against Ömer Ağın and Dilşah Kocakaya due to their articles published on Özgür Gündem daily, while Celal Başlangıç was the Editor-in-Chief on Watch; against İmam Canpolat due to an article published while Cengiz Baysoy was the Editor-in-Chief on Watch, and against İlham Bakır due to an article published while Jülide Kural was the Editor-in-Chief on Watch. Önderoğlu, Nesin, Korur-Fincancı in 10-days pre-trial detention * Editors-in-Chief on Watch, Erol Önderoğlu, Ahmet Nesin and Şebnem Korur Fincancı were arrested in June 2016 and released after 10 days. 68,000 TL (15,619 Euros) fine, 188 months and 15 days of prison sentenceVerdict was given in the trials of Şanar Yurdatapan, İbrahim Bodur, Cengiz Baysoy, İmam Canpolat, Çilem Küçükkeleş, Nadire Mater, Yıldırım Türker, Hasan Cemal, Faruk Balıkçı, Dicle Anter, Derya Okatan, Kumru Başer, Ayşe Batumlu, Jülide Kural, İlham Bakır, Murat Uyurkulak, Murat Çelikkan, Beyza Üstün, Nevin Erdemir, Hakkı Boltan, Hasan Hayri Şanlı and Tuğrul Eryılmaz. 7 acquittalsErol Önderoğlu, Şebnem Korur Fincancı, Ahmet Nesin, Hasan Hayri Şanlı, Nevin Erdemir, Hüseyin Tahmaz and Hakkı Boltan have been acquitted. Prison sentences of Çelikkan (18 months), Canpolat (15 months) not deferredThe court has ruled in 22 cases in total, that the editors-in-chief on watch be sentenced to 68,000 TL (15,619 Euros) fine and 235 months and 15 days in prison. All prison sentences except those of Canpolat and Çelikkan, have been deferred. Çelikkan entered Kırklareli Prison on August 14, 2017 and was transferred to open prison on October 14, 2017. He was released on October 21, 2017. Kızılkaya's casesÖzgür Gündem Managing Editor İnan Kızılkaya is defendant in all 38 cases. His case was separated from the others in the trials together with the other Editors-in-Chief on Watch. İstanbul 23rd Heavy Criminal Court is combining Kızılkaya's case with the main trial. Özgür Gündem main trialIn the main trial, Özgür Gündem Consultant Board members Necmiye Alpay, Aslı Erdoğan, Ragıp Zarakolu, Filiz Koçali, Eren Keskin, Editors-in-Chief Zana Kaya, İnan Kızılkaya, Kemal Sancılı and Bilge Oykut are standing trial. Sancılı has still been arrested as part of the lawsuit. |
(EMK/SD)