Journalist Ayşe Düzkan Goes to Prison: My Morale is High, See You
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"I acted in solidarity with the Özgür Gündem, not just for freedom of the press, but also to lay claim to the demand for peace. My morale is high, see you."
Feminist and journalist Ayşe Düzkan said these words just before going to the İstanbul Courthouse Prosecutor's Office of Execution.
Düzkan was sentenced to 18 months in prison for acting as the editor-in-chief of the daily Özgür Gündem for one day, in an act of solidarity with the newspaper.
Düzkan was brought to Bakırköy Women's Prison from the İstanbul Courthouse.
A notification has not been sent to Düzkan regarding her sentence.
According to the BİA Media Monitoring Reports, at least 123 journalists are behind bars in Turkey.
Düzkan's friends, journalists and the members of the Press, Broadcast and Printing Press Workers Union of Turkey (DİSK/Basın-İş), which Düzkan is also a member of, were present in the courthouse.
Speaking to bianet, Düzkan said that acting in solidarity with the Özgür Gündem means laying claim to the demand for peace for her:
"Everyone who acted as editor-in-chief of Özgür Gündem was sentenced in the trial. Some sentences were adjourned. Murat Çelikkan is in prison. Secondly, I will go to prison. I think it is remarkable that we are both Turks. It is common to talk about Özgür Gündem as 'Kurdish press'. As a Turk, I think the Kurdish reality is important for us. Because the demand for peace is impossible without knowing this reality. I acted in solidarity with the Özgür Gündem, not just for freedom of the press, but also to lay claim to the demand for peace. My morale is high, I am in high spirits."
"The sentences given to us are less important than the structural changes in Turkey"
Saying that Turkey is going through a very critical period, Düzkan pointed out structural changes:
"We are going through such a period that the education is being reformed, the law is dying out, scientific work is being destroyed. Also, a period of grave poverty... Many people are sentenced to prison. My sentence is nothing compared to them. The sentences given to us are not important compared to these changes. My morale is high, I am in high spirits."
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 36 have been turned into cases. 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. Cases of Önderoğlu, Korur-Fincancı, and Nesin have been combined. Cases of Ragıp Duran and Ayşe Düzkan have been combined. Non-prosecution verdict was issued for 11 of the 50 Editors-in-Chief on Watch. The case against Deniz Türkali was dropped. |
Trials of Özgür Gündem Editors-in-Chief on WatchThe Editors-in-Chief on Watch campaign of Özgür Gündem daily had begun 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 have been launched into 50 of the 56 Editors-in-Chief on Watch who have participated in the campaign. In 11 of these cases, the court has ordered not to prosecute and in 38 cases, a lawsuit has been brought. One case has been 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 have stood trial on the 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, have been combined with the cases of Düzkan, Duran and Çelebi. The 38 Editors-in-Chief on Watch have stood trial / are standing on the 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 4 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. The next hearing of the three writers whose trials continue, will be held on December, 27, 2017. 68,000 TL (15,619 Euros) fine, 352 months and 15 days of prison sentenceVerdict has been rendered 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. 3 acquittalsŞanlı, Erdemir and 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. Kızılkaya and Sancılı are in detention on remand. Dates of the hearings* November 2, 2017, Said Sefa – İstanbul 22nd Heavy Criminal Court * December 26, 2017, Erol Önderoğlu, Ahmet Nesin, Şebnem Korur Fincancı - İstanbul 13th Heavy Criminal Court * December 28, 2017, Veysi Altay – İstanbul 22nd Heavy Criminal Court * December 28, 2017, Can Dündar – İstanbul 22nd Heavy Criminal Court * January 18, 2018, Ayşe Düzkan, Ragıp Duran - İstanbul 13th Heavy Criminal Court * March 15, 2018, Faruk Eren, Ertuğrul Mavioğlu, Celal Başlangıç, Ömer Ağın, İhsan Çaralan, Celalettin Can, Fehim Işık, Öncü Akgül, Dilşah Kocakaya - İstanbul 14th Heavy Criminal Court. * May 7, 2018, Faruk Eren, Ertuğrul Mavioğlu, Celal Başlangıç, Ömer Ağın, İhsan Çaralan, Celalettin Can, Fehim Işık, Öncü Akgül and Dilşah Kocakaya - İstanbul 14th Heavy Criminal Court * September 4, 2018, Can Dündar and Veysi Altay - İstanbul 22nd Heavy Criminal Court * October 9, 2018, Erol Önderoğlu, Ahmet Nesin and Şebnem Korur Fincancı - İstanbul 13th Heavy Criminal Court |
(EMK/VK)