Jailed Kurdish journalist denied musical instrument over "security" reasons

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

The prison administration has refused to hand over a musical instrument sent for imprisoned Kurdish journalist Fırat Can Arslan, citing "security" reasons.

Last month, a bağlama, a stringed instrument, was sent to Arslan in prison. However, the prison administration declined to deliver it to Arslan, stating that items sold in the prison canteen were not accepted from the outside.

Following Arslan's objection, the Administration and Observation Board convened, acknowledging that, according to prison regulations, the musical instrument could be given to Arslan. Nevertheless, they decided not to hand over the bağlama due to "security" concerns. The board argued that it was impossible to conduct a detailed search without causing any damage to the inside of the instrument and cited the possibility of "organizational communication notes being concealed inside the instrument" as the reason for withholding it.

In the decision, Arslan was also asked to purchase the bağlama through the administration.

Journalist Arslan filed an appeal against the decision at the Execution Judgeship.

What happened?

In an investigation initiated by the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, Mezopotamya Agency (MA) reporters Delal Akyüz and Fırat Can Arslan, T24 editor Sibel Yükler, bianet editor Evrim Kepenek, and journalist Evrim Deniz were detained on July 25.

The journalists were detained for sharing news on their Twitter accounts about the reassignment of a prosecutor who had prepared the indictment of 18 Kurdish journalists in Diyarbakır and the judge who presided over the case. They were charged with "marking a counterterrorism official as a target for terror groups."

Fırat Can Arslan was arrested by the court, while the other journalists were released under judicial control. (RT/VK)