Intelligence officer case: 'They arrested us to make an example of journalists'
Aydın Keser and Ferhat Çelik (Photo: MA)
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Two journalists who were released from prison after the first hearing of the case of reporting an intelligence officer's death in Libya have spoken to the Mesopotamia Agency (MA) about the trial and their imprisonment.
Six journalists from three media outlets were remanded in custody in March for violating the Law on National Intelligence Organization (MİT). Three of them were released after Wednesday's (June 24) hearing while three others are still behind bars.
Yeni Yaşam newspaper's editor-in-chief Ferhat Çelik and managing editor Aydın Keser told the MA that the court remanded them in custody "without taking a look at the case file."
Çelik recalled that reports emerged after President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan remarked in February that "We have a few martyrs in Libya."
After Erdoğan's statement, footage and photographs showing the funeral of two officers were posted on social media and various outlets reported on the incident, citing those posts.
"We clearly told the prosecutor's office where we obtained the report. Despite that, we were referred to İstanbul 8th Penal Judgeship of Peace with a request of arrest. The judgeship released us. The prosecutor objected to this one day later. I went to the security directorate with my lawyer. Then we were taken to İstanbul 5th Penal Judgeship of Peace. The judge took a recess three times in five minutes. He spoke on the phone during the last break and gave a verdict of arrest for us. He gave a verdict of arrest without even looking at the file," he said.
"Espionage" charge over an open-source report
"They are accusing us of espionage although we made a report citing an open-source," he said, adding that if they receive a sentence in this case, it will mean that any journalist can be sent to prison over any news report.
He also noted that the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) and pro-government outlets such as Sabah newspaper published many reports using full names of MİT members, yet they were never probed.
The reason for their arrest was to intimidate journalists, to make them "think twice" before writing a story, he said. "We were remanded in custody to make an example of journalists."
Aydın Keser spoke about the rights violations during their imprisonment, saying that his requests to stay in the same cell with Çelik were not met and they were not given Yeni Yaşam newspaper
"Although our newspaper was under pressure, it always continued publishing. We have been detained for four months, but we will continue writing from now on," he remarked.
What happened?Odatv news website News Director Barış Terkoğlu and reporter Hülya Kılınç were detained from their homes in İstanbul and Manisa in early morning hours on March 4. Kılınç was taken to İstanbul for the investigation. Terkoğlu and Kılınç were arrested by the İstanbul 4th Penal Judgeship of Peace in the evening on the same day. On March 5, the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) imposed an access block on Odatv. Summoned to depose as part of the same investigation on March 5, Odatv Editor-in-Chief Barış Pehlivan was also arrested on March 6. On the same day, daily Yeni Yaşam Editor-in-Chief Ferhat Çelik and Managing Editor Aydın Keser were referred to court for arrest as part of the same investigation. They were released on probation by the court. Next day, on March 7, daily Yeniçağ columnist Murat Ağırel was also referred to court for his arrest after deposing at the prosecutor's office. He was released on probation by the court. Upon the objection of the prosecutor's office, Ferhat Çelik, Aydın Keser and Murat Ağırel were arrested on March 8. On April 24, an indictment was issued against arrested journalists Barış Terkoğlu, Hülya Kılınç, Ferhat Çelik, Aydın Keser and Murat Ağırel as well as journalist Erk Acarer, who is abroad, and E.E., a Press Unit member from the Republican People's Party (CHP) Akhisar Municipality. As announced by lawyer Celal Ülgen, it was later understood that the court ruled for the continuation of the pre-trial detention of the journalists in the absence of their attorneys. |
(HA/VK)