Lawsuit Against Bakur Documentary Over ‘Propaganda’

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Ertuğrul Mavioğlu and Çayan Demirel, the two directors of the Bakur documentary that was screened in Batman during the resolution process, and Dicle Anter, the administrative executive of Batman Municipality Yılmaz Güney Movie Theater where the movie was screened, have been sued on charge of “illegal organization propaganda”.

It is demanded by the indictment prepared by prosecutor Ömer İlhan that filmmaker Mavioğlu, director Demirel and Dicle Anter, the son of killed journalist Musa Anter be tried on Anti-Terror Law.

The indictment was approved by Batman 2nd Heavy Penal Court. The first hearing will be held on January 18, 2018.

The indictment prosecutor İlhan prepared 2.5 years ago read that “there are armed PKK members in the trailer of the film”.

Mavioğlu: It is not terror but peace propaganda

Çayan Demirel will give deposition at the İstanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan on December 28, 2017. On the same day, filmmakers will issue a statement for the press in front of the courthouse at 9:30 a.m.

In his statement concerning the subject, journalist Mavioğlu said, “Documentary makers being targeted in Turkey after journalists, writers, academics and lawyers is egregious”.

Bakur was shot in 2013 during the process of Kurdistan Workers’ Party’s (PKK) withdrawal. The screening which caused the lawsuit was on May 5, 2015 when the resolution process was ongoing.

“If they want to find any propaganda in the documentary, let me say that what they can find is peace propaganda, not terror”. (AS/TK)