Turkey: Database of Imprisoned Writers
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TURKEY: DATABASE OF IMPRISONED WRITERS 20 December 2019 – On 30 November 2019, PEN International and English PEN co-organised a workshop that notably aimed at highlighting the plight of imprisoned journalists in Turkey, and led to the creation of a database of their detailed profiles. Data was aggregated from sources including Bianet, the Committee to Protect Journalists, the International Press Institute, the Media and Law Studies Association as well as Platform 24 and its affiliate Expression Interrupted. Data, where available, covers biographical details, charges against the journalist, as well as details of arrest, trial and detention. For more information, please contact Aurélia Dondo, Europe Programme Coordinator at [email protected] ABDULKADIR TURAY DATE of BIRTH: N/A DETAILS of TRIAL: GENDER: Male Source 1: Media and Law Studies Association PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND: Reporter Last updated on 3 December 2018 working for Dicle News Agency (DIHA). Abdulkadir Turay, a former journalist for now- DATE of ARREST: He was taken into custody on defunct media outlet Dicle News Agency, has 5 May 2016; arrested on 9 May 2016; and been sentenced to 9 years imprisonment for past convicted on 28 September 2018. news articles and notes. Turay has already been imprisoned for 2 years. Nine defendants DETAILS of ARREST: appeared at Mardin 2. High Criminal Court on Source 1: International Press Institute terrorism charges today. In addition to Turay, Savur Municipality Deputy Co-chair Osman Ok Turay was arrested in Mardin province of Turkey and Democratic Regions Party members on allegations of “aiding and abetting a terrorist Mehmet Sait Tuncer, Yusuf Erat, Şakir Turan, organization” and “membership of a terrorist Davut Tekin, Hamdullah Öz, Naci Arslan and organization.” Yalçın Bulgan all face terrorism charges. The 1 defendants submitted their defense statements defendants face a cumulative 74 years and 3 in Kurdish. They requested acquittal and drew months imprisonment. attention to the fact that the prosecution’s case PRISON SENTENCE: 9 years relies on the testimony of two anonymous witnesses. Turay claimed that the testimony of LEGISLATION USED: Turkish Criminal Law (TCK) the anonymous witnesses was not reflective of 314-2 the truth. “I had been working as a journalist since 2014 until when I was detained 2016. I was CURRENT LEGAL STATUS: Convicted an insured employee of DİHA. All the CURRENT PLACE of DETENTION: Mardin E Type information I gathered from my source were Prison newsworthy. They cannot be presented as evidence of crime.” Şehmuz Taşkın, a lawyer for CONDITIONS of DETENTION: N/A the defense, then took the floor. Taşkın noted HEALTH CONCERNS: N/A that even the anonymous witnesses do not specify what actions his clients are alleged to SOURCES: have done on behalf of any terrorist For more information in English: organizations. He also observed that the witnesses had changed their statements after https://expressioninterrupted.com/freedom-of- the emergence of new evidence, indicating that expression-and-the-press-in-turkey-158/ they are not to be relied on. Lawyers for the http://bianet.org/english/human- defense went on to cite decisions of the rights/174593-diha-reporter-turay-4-others- Constitutional Court and European Court of arrested Human Rights which declare that anonymous witness statements are an insufficient evidential For more information in Turkish: basis for conviction. The prosecution then reasserted their final opinion and requested the https://medyagozlemveritabani.org/diha- ajansinin-muhabiri-abdulkadir-turaya-orgut- conviction of Hamdullah Öz, Mehmet Sait uyeliginden-9-yil-hapis-cezasi-verildi/ Tuncer, Yalçın Bulgan, Gazeteci Abdulkadir Turay, Yusuf Erat, Mevlüde Ökmen, Osman Ok https://www.mlsaturkey.com/tr/gazeteci- and Şakir Turan. The prosecution has however abdulkadir-turaya-9-yil-hapis/ requested that Davut Tekin and Naci Arslan be acquitted. The court sentenced Turay to 9 years http://bianet.org/bianet/ifade- imprisonment. Öz and Bulgan received ozgurlugu/174587-diha-muhabiri-turay-ve-dort- sentences of 10 years and 6 months, whereas kisi-tutuklandi Ökmen, Arslan and Tekin were sentenced to 7 http://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/haber/turkiye/ years and 6 months. Erat received a sentence of 530151/DiHA_nin_bir_muhabiri_daha_tutuklan 3 years and 9 months. Turan, Ok, and Tuncer di.html each received sentences of 6 years. The court chose to release Ok from imprisonment. The http://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/koseyazisi/5355 03/DiHA_diye_bir_haber_ajansi.html 2 ABDULLAH KILIÇ DATE of BIRTH: 18 June 1972 of the imprisoned defendants released conditionally, but prosecutors successfully GENDER: Male objected to the release of eight of them and the PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND: Columnist- release order for the other 13 was blocked hours commentator for Meydan newspaper. later. The defendants – with the exception of Akkuş, who was freed after having been DATE of ARREST: He was taken into custody on imprisoned since July 30, 2016 – remained 25 July 2016. He was arrested on 29 July 2016. behind bars and the judges who made the order DETAILS OF ARREST: were suspended. Prosecutors later brought new charges against 13 of the journalists on charges Source 1: International Press Institute (IPI) of trying to overthrow the government and the Abdullah Kılıç, print/broadcast coordinator for constitutional order. Those facing the new Habertürk, was ordered arrested on July 30, charges include Cihan Acar, Mustafa Erkan Acar, 2016 as part of a purge of journalists allegedly Akkuş, Aksoy, Aydın, Çetin, Çulhaoğlu, Abdullah linked to U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gülen, who Kılıç, Seyid Kılıç, Köseli, Taş, Usluer and Yıldız. Turkey’s government accuses of having Source 2: Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) established a “parallel state structure” and who it blames for the failed July 15, 2016 coup Police in Istanbul detained Abdullah Kılıç, a attempt. former columnist for the shuttered daily newspaper Meydan, on July 25, 2016, as part of DETAILS of TRIAL: a purge of suspected followers of exiled Source 1: International Press Institute (IPI) preacher Fethullah Gülen. The Turkish government accuses Gülen of maintaining a Kılıç is one of 29 journalists charged in a case terrorist organization and "parallel state accusing them of having been part of the Gülen structure" (FETÖ/PDY, as the government calls it) movement’s “media wing”. They face up to 10 within Turkey and alleges that it masterminded years in prison if convicted. As of May 2, 2017, a failed July 2016 military coup. Istanbul's First other journalists imprisoned in connection with Court of Penal Peace ordered the journalist jailed the case include, Ahmet Memiş, Atilla Taş, pending trial on terrorism charges. According to Bayram Kaya, Bünyamin Köseli, Cemal Azmi records of the columnist's interrogation and the Kalyoncu, Cihan Acar, Cuma Ulus, Emre Soncan, order jailing him, which CPJ reviewed, Gökçe Fırat Çulhaoğlu, Habib Güler, Halil İbrahim prosecutors questioned Kılıç on the suspicion Balta, Hanım Büşra Erdal, Hüseyin Aydın, Murat that he was a member of FETÖ/PDY's "media Aksoy, Mustafa Erkan Acar, Mutlu Çölgeçen, arm," based on his work for Zaman and other Oğuz Usluer, Seyid Kılıç, Ufuk Şanlı, Ünal Tanık, newspapers the government accuses of Yakup Çetin and Yetkin Yıldız. Six other manipulating the public to support the journalists face charges in the case, including Ali organization and the attempted coup. The Akkuş, Bülent Ceyhan, Davut Aydın, Muhammed government took over Zaman and affiliated Sait Kuloğlu, Muhterem Tanık and Said Sefa, the publications in March 2016 and shut them down latter of whom reportedly had fled the country. by decree in July that year, alleging links to the On March 31, 2017 a court in Turkey ordered 21 Gülenist network. Prosecutors questioned Kılıç 3 on suspicion of "committing crimes in the name life sentence without parole. CPJ found both of a [terrorist] organization without being a indictments to be similar to those presented at member," "knowingly and willingly helping a trials of other journalists in Turkey. Prosecutors [terrorist] organization without being involved in cited as evidence in these cases journalistic the organization's hierarchical structure," activity or acts of free speech and "founding or leading an armed terrorist communication, or cited circumstantial evidence organization," and "being member of an armed such as being employed by a certain media terrorist organization," according to the outlet or having an account at a bank allegedly documents. Kılıç denied the charges, court linked to Gülenists. The first indictment accused documents show. He said that although he the defendants of manipulating the public worked at Zaman until February 2011, he perception of FETÖ to turn citizens against the subsequently worked at other newspapers and government, which prosecutors argued, made television stations and had reported critically on the journalists members of the group that the Gülenist network. Kılıç also said he had Turkey alleges is behind the attempted coup. criticized previous attempted coups in The second indictment, which was presented as documentaries, columns, and on social media. an addition to the original case, argued that the Kılıç said he left Meydan in April 2015, after journalists should be held responsible for more Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in a than alleged membership to the group. In Kılıç’s speech warned, "For the last time: those who case, prosecutors cited as evidence in the