Journalist Serdar Akinan detained after covering allegations by Muhammed Yakut; journalist Mehmet Güleş sentenced in his retrial; rights defender Eren Keskin detained at airport; court suspends RTÜK penalty for Halk TV

 

Journalist Serdar Akinan taken into custody after covering allegations by Muhammed Yakut

 

Journalist Serdar Akinan was taken into custody by the police in his home in the Ayvacık district of Çanakkale province on 19 April 2023 as part of an investigation launched by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office shortly after covering allegations by Muhammed Yakut, who has been posting videos on his YouTube channel “Delilerin Delisi.”

 

Akinan was brought to the Istanbul Police Department after being detained. A confidentiality order was issued for the investigation, in which the journalist is facing the allegations of “publicly disseminating misleading information,” “threat,” “insult” and “marking a person assigned with the fight against terrorism as a target.”

 

Following his questioning at the police department, Akinan was brought to the Istanbul Courthouse the same day for his statement to be taken by the prosecutor, who then referred the journalist to a criminal judgeship of peace, seeking his release under judicial control measures. The judge released Akinan under an international travel ban and an obligation to report to the local police station twice a week.

 

Nine videos posted on Akinan’s YouTube channel are reportedly being investigated.

 

Journalist Mehmet Güleş sentenced in his retrial

 

The second hearing in journalist Mehmet Güleş’s retrial on charges of “terrorism propaganda” over his social media posts was held on 18 April 2023 at the Elazığ 2nd High Criminal Court.

 

Güleş and his lawyer addressed the court via the judicial videoconferencing network SEGBİS. Presenting their final opinion during the hearing, the prosecutor asked the court to sentence the journalist as charged.

 

In his defense statement in response to the prosecutor’s final opinion, Güleş denied the accusation and stated that the social media posts held as evidence against him were news content by his then-employer Dicle News Agency.

 

Rendering its judgment at the end of the hearing, the court sentenced Güleş to 1 year, 9 months and 25 days in prison and deferred the sentence.

 

In the original trial, which concluded in December 2022, Güleş was sentenced to 3 years 1 month and 15 days in prison for “terrorism propaganda.” His sentence was later overturned by the Supreme Court of Appeals, which ordered a retrial.

 

Journalist İsmail Çoban sentenced

 

The fourth hearing in journalist İsmail Çoban’s retrial on charges of “terrorism propaganda” was heldon 18 April 2023 at the Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court. Çoban, the former managing editor of the Kurdish newspaper Azadiya Welat, was on trial on account of several reports published in the now-defunct newspaper.

 

Currently imprisoned in the Maraş Türkoğlu Prison, serving a sentence he was given in another case, Çoban did not attend the hearing. His lawyer was present in the courtroom.

 

Reiterating the final opinion they presented during the previous hearing, the prosecutor demanded that the court sentence Çoban as charged.

 

In his statement in response to the prosecutor’s final opinion, Çoban’s lawyer requested the dismissal of the case because more than four months had elapsed between the delivery of the newspaper issues subject to the accusation to the prosecutor’s office and the issuing of the indictment, exceeding the time limit to file charges.

 

The court rendered its judgment at the end of the hearing. Noting that the sentence handed to Çoban in the initial trial had been miscalculated, the court decided to re-issue a judgment in the defendant’s favor and sentenced Çoban to 1 year, 6 months and 22 days in prison. The court did not suspend the sentence.

 

Administrative court suspends RTÜK penalty for Halk TV

 

The Ankara Regional Administrative Court suspended the execution of an administrative fine imposed on Halk TV by the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK).

 

The Council had decided to impose a five percent administrative fine and an additional five-time program suspension penalty on Halk TV for allegedly “praising a criminal offender” on account of a recent broadcast hosted by the network’s Ankara Representative Serhan Asker, in which Selahattin Demirtaş’s latest book, “Dad,” was promoted.

 

Rights defender Eren Keskin detained at airport

 

Human Rights Association (İHD) Co-Chair Eren Keskin was detained on 15 April 2023 at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gökçen Airport. Keskin’s social media posts were cited as the grounds for her detention.

 

Keskin, who was released later that day, announced that she was detained based on an arrest warrant issued on account of her social media posts.

 

New investigation launched against journalist Ahmet Kanbal

 

Mezopotamya News Agency (MA) reporter Ahmet Kanbal is facing the allegation of “publicly disseminating misleading information” for his reporting and his social media posts in a new investigation launched by the Mardin Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.

 

Kanbal was called in for questioning on 14 April by the Mardin Police Department. Kanbal, who went to the police department with his lawyer, was interrogated about his reports. He left the police department after giving his statement.

 

Objection to dropping of charges against officers who violently detained Bülent Kılıç rejected

 

An objection filed against the public prosecutor’s decision to drop the charges against police officers who violently detained Agence France-Presse (AFP) photojournalist Bülent Kılıç as he was covering the 19th Istanbul Pride March on 26 June 2021 was rejected on the grounds that the decision was “in conformity with procedural and substantive law.”

 

A criminal complaint was filed against two of the officers on 4 August 2021 on the allegations of “damage to property” and “intentional injury through excessive use of force.”

 

Concluding that the police officers “did not exceed their authority to use force,” prescribed in the Law on Police Duties and Entitlements No. 2559, Aysel Daşkıran, the public prosecutor carrying out the investigation, decided on 16 March 2023 to drop the investigation against the two officers.

 

Court orders continuation of detention of journalists jailed in Diyarbakır

 

The Diyarbakır 4th High Criminal Court, which recently accepted an indictment against 18 journalists and media workers, ruled that the journalists detained as part of the investigation remain jailed pending trial.

 

A total of 18 journalists were taken into custody in raids carried out on 8 June 2022 as part of the investigation launched in Diyarbakır. Fifteen of the journalists have been jailed since. The journalists are charged with “membership in a terrorist organization.” Their trial will get underway on 11 July 2023.

 

Trial against journalist Metin Yoksu to continue in May

 

The second hearing in journalist Metin Yoksu’s trial on charges of “terrorism propaganda” over his news photography was held on 18 April 2023 at the Istanbul 23rd High Criminal Court.

 

Citing medical reasons, Yoksu did not attend the hearing. The court adjourned the case until 8 May 2023.

 

Trial against journalist Arafat Dayan to continue in October

 

The second hearing of journalist Arafat Dayan’s trial on charges of “terrorism propaganda” was held on 18 April 2023 at the Mersin 7th High Criminal Court.

 

The court ruled to wait for the execution of the arrest warrant issued for Dayan and adjourned the case until 19 October 2023.

 

Trial against journalist Ziya Çiçekçi to cıntinue in September

 

The 12th hearing of journalist Ziya Çiçekçi’s trial on charges of “terrorism propaganda” was held on 19 April 2023 at the Istanbul 33rd High Criminal Court.

 

Çiçekçi, who lives abroad, and his lawyer did not attend the hearing. The court adjourned the case until 8 September 2023.

 

At least 64 journalists and media workers in prison

 

As of 24 April 2023 there are at least 64 journalists and media workers in prison in Turkey, either in pre-trial detention or serving a sentence.

 

The full list can be accessed here.