Hakan Yalçın released after four days in police custody; Osman Çaklı summoned to give statement for covering Akbelen protests; Fatih Altaylı handed jail term, faces new investigation; Sputnik employees on strike called in to give statement

 

Journalist Hakan Yalçın released after four days in police custody

Mezopotamya news agency (MA) reporter Hakan Yalçın, who was detained in a police raid on his home on 29 December 2023 on the allegation of “membership in a terrorist organization” as part of an investigation launched by the Malatya Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, was released by the court he was referred to with a request for him to be imprisoned pending trial on 2 January 2024.

Yalçın and nine others were brought to the Malatya Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in the district of Yeşilyurt after procedures at the police station.

During the prosecutor’s interrogation, Yalçın was asked about the activities of an association he had been a member of when he was a university student. Yalçın, who was asked whether the association engaged in “ideological education,” was then transferred to a criminal judgeship of peace with a request for imprisonment.

After providing a further statement to the court, Yalçın was released under judicial control measures. While eight others detained along with Yalçın were also released, one person was put in pre-trial detention on the charge of “membership in a terrorist organization.”

Access block on report concerning Deputy Minister of Justice, investigation launched against Seyhan Avşar

On 3 January 2024 the Istanbul 7th Criminal Judgeship of Peace issued an access blocking order on a report by journalist Seyhan Avşar published on halktv.com.tr news site, which was about members of a criminal organization contacting Deputy Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek for the release of crime ring leader Urfi Çetinkaya. While Akın Gürlek had requested the denial of access order, the document was fake, the news site reported.

On 5 January, Avşar announced that an investigation has been launched against her and she was summoned to give her statement on 8 January.

Halktv.com.tr had reported on how Çetinkaya, who was the subject of an Interpol red notice and a finalized 24-year imprisonment sentence for the crime of drugs trafficking had wanted to contact former Deputy Minister of Justice in charge of prisons, Çetinkaya and Gürlek had been notified by the narcotics department.

Hours after the report was published, the Istanbul 7th Criminal Judgeship of Peace issued an access block order. Halk TV conveyed the order to the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office on 3 January, but sources at the prosecutor’s office stated that the document was fake. The document for the order had reportedly faked the names of the lawyer and the judge, as well as the case number.

Sputnik employees on strike called in to give statement

Striking journalists at Sputnik Türkiye were called in to give a statement on 1 January 2024 on suspicion of “violating the Law no. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations,” “violating the freedom to work and employment” and “disrupting the peace and quiet” upon a complaint filed by Sputnik Türkiye.

Following a strike being declared at Sputnik’s Turkey offices on 24 July 2023, 24 members of the Journalists Union of Turkey (TGS) employed by Sputnik, including the union representative, were fired on 7 August 2023 on the pretext of “economic downsizing.”

Journalist Osman Çaklı, who covered the Akbelen protests, summoned to give statement

Journalist Osman Çaklı, who had covered the protest that began after the company YK Enerji intended to start tree cutting in Akbelen Forest in the Milas district of Muğla in July 2023 gave his statement at the Beyoğlu Police Department in Istanbul on the allegation of “terrorism propaganda.”

Çaklı, who allegedly “engaged in propaganda against the state,” was released after his statement was taken, in which he said that the posts subject to the allegations were news reporting and did not include any propaganda.

The investigation against Çaklı is based on a report titled “Kömür göçü: 'İkizköy rüyalarıma giriyor” (Coal migration: “I cannot stop thinking about İkizköy”), published on Artı Gerçek news site on 12 August 2023.

In July 2023, Directorate-General of Forestry teams and officials from YK Enerji wanted to expand the mining site, which supplies coal to the Yeniköy-Kemerköy thermic power plant, into Akbelen Forest. Upon the call of the İkizköy Environment Committee, then Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chairperson Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and a number of MPs traveled to the region in solidarity with the villagers. Many people who traveled to Akbelen from all over Turkey started to keep watch to prevent the forest’s destruction. Those who tried to prevent tree cutting in the region were assaulted and detained.

Journalist Fatih Altaylı handed jail term, faces new investigation

The Istanbul 22nd Criminal Court of First Instance sentenced journalist Fatih Altaylı to 7 months in prison on 21 September 2023 for “repeatedly insulting” the leader of the ultrAslan supporters group of Galatasaray football team. The sentence was issued in line with the indictment against Altaylı filed by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office on 27 April 2022.

The court did not defer the sentence due to Altaylı having several instances of the same crime on his record and did not commute it to one of the alternative sanctions. Therefore, if the regional court of appeals upholds the sentence, Altaylı will be imprisoned.

Meanwhile, an investigation has been launched against Altaylı on the allegation of “praising a crime or a criminal offender” and “inciting the people to hatred and enmity” over his social media posts. Altaylı was called in to give a statement on 5 January 2024 as part of the investigation carried out by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Altaylı was released under judicial control measures including a ban on traveling abroad and signing his name at the nearest police station.

Program suspension penalty on Halk TV begins

A five-time program broadcasting suspension penalty imposed by the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) on Halk TV on 4 October 2023 began to be implemented on 5 January 2024.

Halk TV had been ordered to pay the maximum administrative fine allowed and to suspend broadcasting of a program five times due to statements regarding the PKK attack outside the Directorate General of Security in Ankara on 1 October 2023 violating the provision “Broadcasting services cannot present terrorist acts, their perpetrators and victims in a manner that results in serving the aims of terrorism.”

“Ajans muhbir” administrators Süha Çardaklı and Serkan Kafkas released

A trial in which 30 people, 10 of whom including “Ajans muhbir” social media account administrators Süha Çardaklı and Serkan Kafkas, are charged with “inciting the people to hatred and enmity,” “using threats to create fear and panic among the people” and “spreading misleading information” began at the Ankara 7th Criminal Court of First Instance on 3 January 2024. The defendants are on trial over their social media posts regarding refugees.

Çardaklı, who has been in pre-trial detention for 106 days as part of the case, Kafkas, who has been in pre-trial detention for 80 days, and some of the defendants who are free pending trial attended the hearing, along with many lawyers representing the defendants. The prosecutor requested the court to keep the imprisoned defendants in detention.

Following defense statements, the court ruled to release the 10 imprisoned defendants and adjourned the trial until 20 May 2024.

Musician Ferhat Tunç’s trial adjourned until April

The 11th hearing in the trial of exiled musician and activist Ferhat Tunç on the charge of “terrorism propaganda” over his social media posts was held at the Istanbul 37th High Criminal Court on 5 January 2024.

Tunç, who resides abroad, did not attend the hearing, while his lawyer was present.

The court ruled to await the execution of the arrest warrant for Tunç and adjourned the trial until 4 April 2024.

Trial of former Özgür Gündem editors and politician Hatip Dicle adjourned again

The 26th hearing of the trial of now-defunct Özgür Gündem newspaper's former chief editors Hüseyin Aykol and Zana Kaya, managing editor İnan Kızılkaya and Kurdish politician Hatip Dicle on charges of “denigrating the Turkish nation, the state of the Republic of Turkey, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, the government of the Republic of Turkey and the judicial organs of the state” and “denigrating the military and security organization of the state” over news articles published in the newspaper in 2016 was held at the Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance on 4 January 2024. Özgür Gündem was shut down in 2016 under a statutory decree (KHK).

P24 monitored the hearing. The defendants and their lawyers presented excuses not to attend.

The court ruled to await the execution of the arrest warrant for Hatip Dicle and adjourned the trial until 27 June 2024.

Trial of Demokratik Modernite staffers and contributors adjourned until June

The fourth hearing in the trial of Demokratik Modernite magazine Managing Editor Ramazan Yurttapan, editor Haydar Ergül and contributors Cihan Doğan, Musa Şanak and Nazan Üstündağ on the charge of “denigrating the Turkish nation, the state of the Republic of Turkey, institutions and organs of the state” was held at the Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance on 4 January 2024.

P24 monitored the hearing. The defendants and their lawyers submitted letters of excuse not to attend.

The court ruled to await the execution of the arrest warrants for Nazan Üstündağ and Cihan Doğan and adjourned the trial until 27 June 2024.

The indictment cites some statements used in eight articles published in issue 37 of the magazine as evidence for the charges against Yurttapan, Ergül and the contributors.

Journalist Ziya Çiçekçi’s trial adjourned due to the panel of judges taking leave

The trial of the now-defunct Özgür Gündem newspaper’s former licensed publisher Ziya Çiçekçi on the charge of “terrorism propaganda” was scheduled to resume on 5 January 2024 at the Istanbul 33rd High Criminal Court. The hearing was postponed as the panel of judges had taken leave of absence.

The next hearing will be held on 3 May 2024.

At least 37 journalists and media workers in prison

As of 5 January 2024, there are at least 37 journalists and media workers in prison in Turkey, either in pre-trial detention or serving a sentence.

The full list can be accessed here.