Press in Arrest: Oppression of Journalists Continue During Pandemic

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Press in Arrest, a group monitoring investigations and trials of journalists, has released its Press Freedom Report for May.

As the trials were "de facto postponed" during the coronavirus pandemic, the most debated issue in terms of freedom of the press was the fines imposed on critical news outlets, the report noted.

"Debates on the freedom of press turned around the penalties imposed by the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) and Press Advertisement Institution (BİK), more than the criminal prosecution of journalists," it said.

"However, having become the government's instrument of oppression, the judiciary continued to prosecute journalists relentlessly," it added.

Here are highlights from the report:

• At least 9 journalists were detained or summoned to testify; investigations were launched and/or criminal complaints were filed against them:
• On May Day, the police cracked down on a group of protesters trying to march to Taksim Square in İstanbul. Önsöz TV reporter Sena Şat who was covering the rally and crackdown was taken under custody. Şat was released after being imposed an administrative fine.
• An investigation was launched against journalist Ragıp Zarakolu for his article titled "Makus kaderden kaçış yok" ("No escape from ill fate") published on Artı Gerçek web site and Evrensel newspaper. In the article, Zarakolu compared the executed Prime Minister Adnan Menderes with President and AKP leader Tayyip Erdoğan. Upon a criminal complaint filed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Communication Director Fahrettin Altun, İstanbul Public Prosecutor's Office initiated an investigation on allegations of "targeting the constitutional order with coup threats".
• Under the scope of the investigation about Zarakolu, Evrensel's Editor-in-Chief Fatih Polat and Managing Editor Görkem Kınacı were summoned to testify.
• An investigation was initiated against journalist Ferhat Akgün, for entering the pandemic hospital Tekirdağ State Hospital without permission, on charges of "violating the privacy of a workplace". The journalist was taken under custody, and placed in house arrest until "the completion of the investigation".
• An investigation was brought against the newspaper Saray, which published a story revealing that an investigation was initiated against Saray Municipality in Tekirdağ for a social media post commemorating Deniz Gezmiş, Yusuf Aslan and Hüseyin İnan on the anniversary of their execution on May 6th, 1972.
• Journalist Alper Karahan was summoned to testify under this investigation.
  
  

• Journalist Hakan Gülseven was taken under custody on allegations of "inciting to commit crime and praising the offense and offender", as part of a police investigation against an alleged social media movement called 'İsimsizler' (The Nameless). Gülseven was taken under custody in Balıkesir's Ayvalık district on May 17th and released on May 19th. As the prosecutor objected to his release, he was detained again on May 21st and then released on judicial control.
• Journalist Rojhat Doğru was taken under custody in Diyarbakır on charges of "membership of an armed terror organization".
• In Bursa's Yenişehir district, Kirazlıyayla neighborhood, a mining company plans to build a tailings dam. The locals staged a protest to stop the building of the tailings dam, and the journalist Yusuf Kayışoğlu recording the protest on camera was taken under custody.
• One journalist was arrested, one journalist was placed in house arrest 'under the scope of a police investigation':
• Journalist Rojhat Doğru was detained on charges of sending money twice to his friend in prison, and arrested on charges of "membership of an armed terrorist organization." (HA/VK)