Two journalists imprisoned after many journalists detained in operations carried out in 30 provinces; journalists covering women’s march battered; Devlet Bahçeli threatens Halk TV and media owners; appeal against life imprisonment sentence for Rojhat Doğru rejected

Two of the many journalists detained in investigations in 30 provinces imprisoned

The nine journalists and writers who were detained in Diyarbakır under an investigation launched by the chief prosecutor’s offices of Ankara and Eskişehir were released by the court on call. Eight journalists who were detained in other provinces and taken to Eskişehir gave a statement to the prosecutor.

The nine journalists and writers were detained in home raids in Diyarbakır early on 26 November 2024 as part of the investigation on suspicion of “running activities on behalf of the terrorist organization within the political and press structures of the PKK/KCK terrorist organization.”

The nine suspects were transferred to the prosecutor’s office after providing a statement at the police station, and the prosecutor’s office then transferred Mezopotamya Women Journalists’ Association (MKG) Chair Roza Metina, cartoonist Doğan Güzel, writer and translator Ömer Barasi and Berfin Atlı to the magistrate’s court with a request for the application of judicial control measures, while filmmaker Ardin Diren, Abdurrahman Aydın, writer and poet Ahmet Hicri İzgören, photographer Emrah Kelekçiler and journalist Ahmet Sünbül were transferred to the magistrate’s court with a request for their imprisonemnt. Appearing before the magistrate late at night, the nine persons were released under judicial control measures.

Meanwhile, the police processing of the eight journalists who were brought to Eskişehir after being detained in other provinces was completed. Journalists Mehmet Uçar, Erdoğan Alayumat, Bilal Seçkin, Suzan Demir, Tuğçe Yılmaz, Havin Derya, Mehmet Yaşar Abatan, Hamza Kaan (Bilge Aksu) and Serap Güneş were transferred to the courthouse. Kaan and Uçar were imprisoned pending trial, while the other journalists were released.

Journalists battered while covering women's march in İstanbul

The Governorate of Istanbul banned the events to be held in Beyoğlu district on November 25th due to the “International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.” Women's organizations declared that they do not recognize the ban. 

Women who wanted to gather in Taksim Tunnel and march to İstiklal Street were blockaded by the police. The police broke up the women chanting “We are not silent, we are not afraid, we do not obey.” Some protesters were beaten and detained. 

The police beat journalists, including Gazete Duvar reporter Osman Çaklı, during the detentions.

CHP municipal councilor who assaulted journalist arrested in Balıkesir

Nadir Bayram, Republican People’s Party (CHP) municipal councilor for the Burhaniye district of Balıkesir, who assaulted journalist Hakan Sataroğlu, was imprisoned pending trial on the charge of “willful injury” on 23 November 2024.

Sataroğlu, who owns the local newspaper Zeytin Efe was assaulted by CHP municipal councilor for Burhaniye Nadir Bayram, who approached him in a restaurant on the evening of 19 November.

It is claimed that Bayram, who slapped and punched the journalists, causing Sataroğlu to fall of his chair and then kicked him on the ground before leaving, had attacked Sataroğlu for negative reporting about him.

Appeal against life imprisonment for journalist Rojhat Doğru rejected

The appellate court has rejected the appeal against the lifetime and 12 years and 1 month-long imprisonment sentence handed to former Gelî Kurdistan TV camera operator Rojhat Doğru over allegedly attending the Kobanê protests “with a gun in one hand and camera in the other” on grounds that the initial sentence was lawful. Doğru’s lawyer has taken the ruling before the Court of Cassation.

Journalist Rojhat Doğru was awarded first prize in the 2015 Successful Journalists of the Year Awards held annually by the Southeastern Journalists’ Association (GGC) in the visual reporting category. Doğru was awarded the prize due to the images he had recorded in Diyarbakır in 2014 during the Kobanê protests as camera operator for Gelî Kurdistan TV and his news item titled “Events of 6-7 October – Diyarbakır.” After he was awarded the prize, Doğru was targeted on social media and some news sites. A court case was filed against Doğru upon the complaint of a person who was injured during the Kobanê protests. In the court expert’s report prepared concerning images Doğru had shot himself during the time of the incident, it was established that Doğru was not holding a sharp object.

While the trial was underway, Doğru was jailed pending trial on the charge of “membership in a terrorist organization” for sending money to his friends in prison as part of an İstanbul-based investigation on 23 May 2020, and was released on 17 July 2020. Doğru’s case was merged with the case underway in Diyarbakır. In his testimony dated 14 January 2020, plaintiff and witness Rıdvan Özdemir claimed that Doğru had had a camera in one hand and a gun in the other and his face had been clearly visible. The plaintiff said that there had been gun fire from many sides and that he did not know which had wounded him. The plaintiff answered the presiding judge’s question “How did you identify this person?” by saying that he had identified Doğru three days after the incident while watching images on TV news.

Devlet Bahçeli threatens Halk TV and media owners

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chair Devlet Bahçeli threatened Halk TV and media owners at the 26 November 2024 parliamentary group meeting of his party.

Bahçeli continued making statements about PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan and said that the Democracy and Equality Party (DEM) and Öcalan should meet face-to-face. Bahçeli then turned to the subject of the media and said the following: “I would like to let them know that we have been individually noting down the specially-assigned enemies of the MHP who have their lairs at TVs, ignorant and arrogant so-called commentators whose words, proposals, methods and means are unclear, the media organizations and media owners, especially Halk TV, which have started a campaign of attacks, injury and provocation against the MHP and that we will make them pay dearly when the time comes and we will not accept private apologies for reputation assassinations that have been carried out publicly.

“We will reckon with those who speak without reason, morality, or truth, who convey their master’s voice, those who aid, sponsor and fund this insidious plot and we will make them answer to us.

“The Turkish nation will not forgive those who embrace and support ethnic separatism and the treacherous aims the terrorist organizations, while we are struggling with persistence to strengthen Turkish-Kurdish fraternity and realize the Turkish Century.”

Singer Ferhat Tunç’s trial adjourned until April 2025

The 14th hearing in the trial of singer Ferhat Tunç on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” and “terrorism propaganda” was held at the Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court on 28 November 2024.

The court ruled to keep in place the order for Tunç’s arrest to obtain a defense statement and the execution of the order. Tunç resides abroad.

The next hearing was set for 8 April 2025.

Voice records related to bribery claims to be asked of chief prosecutor’s office in trial of nine journalists

The 10th hearing in the trial of journalists Can Bursalı, Barış Terkoğlu, Barış Pehlivan, Gökmen Karadağ, Doğan Akın, Nevzat Çiçek, Can Özçelik, Fatih Portakal and Ayşenur Arslan on charges of “insult” and “defamation” upon a complaint filed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s former lawyer Mustafa Doğan İnal was held at the İstanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance on 28 November 2024.

The defense requested the court to ask the chief prosecutor’s office whether it had examined the voice recordings on which the news item subject to the case is based and for the voice recordings to be added to the case file.

Plaintiff Mustafa İnal’s lawyer objected to the request for the addition of the voice recordings to the case file and said they maintained their complaint.

Announcing its interim order, the court ruled to issue a writ to the İstanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office to inquire into whether an examination into the voice recordings had been carried out and for the prosecutor’s office to convey the results to the court.

The next hearing was set for 29 May 2025.

In the book titled Metastaz 2: Cendere by Barış Terkoğlu and Barış Pehlivan, which was published in December 2020, the journalists voiced some claims that “members of the judiciary were being paid off and courts were being interfered with” in connection with Mustafa İnal. These claims in the book were based on a voice recording, allegedly from a courthouse.

Trial of 38 defendants, including Taylan Özgür Öztaş, Tunahan Turhan and Vedat Örüç adjourned until January 2025

The 11th hearing in the trial of journalists Taylan Özgür Öztaş, Tunahan Turhan, Vedat Örüç and 35 others on the charge of “violating the Law 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations” was held at the Anadolu 76th Criminal Court of First Instance on 26 November 2024.

Lawyer Emine Özhasar said that they would present the defense statement of her client Vedat Örüç after the prosecutor had presented their final opinion on the case.

Following defense statements, the panel of judges lifted the judicial control measures on three children younger than 18 and adjourned the trial until 14 January 2025.

Journalists İsmail Arı and Yaşar Gökdemir appear before court on charge of “defamation”

The first hearing in the trial of BirGün newspaper’s news site Managing Editor Yaşar Gökdemir and BirGün reporter İsmail Arı, who shared the news item on his social media account, on the charge of “defamation” was held at the İstanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance on 26 November 2024. The case was filed over the news item titled: “Claims: ‘Data deleted’ in Northern Cyprus following directives from an MHP MP.”

Yaşar Gökdemir and İsmail Arı, who were charged upon a complaint filed by Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) MP Levent Uysal and his spouse Ece Uysal, were present at the hearing, which P24 monitored.

Delivering his defense statement, Arı said the following: “A journalist, Levent Özadam, wrote about claims that the Kıbrıs Health and Social Sciences University has been distributing fake diplomas in his column on the Kıbrıs Postası news site. The BirGün newspaper reported on the claims by citing Kıbrıs Postası. I only shared this news item on social media. I did not write it. I am here just for sharing the news item. I did not commit the crime of defamation. My post subject to the charge comes under journalistic activities.”

Arı added, “My journalistic activities are being prevented by means of the judiciary” and stated that he had delivered at least six statements in as many months due to complaints filed by the complainant Levent Uysal and his spouse Ece Uysal.

Yaşar Gökdemir rejected the impugned crime in his defense statement: “We simply reported on a subject which was newsworthy. What we did was journalism and defamation is not the case. I reject the charge.”

The journalists’ lawyer Tolgay Güvercin said that as the location of the alleged crime is Cyprus, it is not possible to file a court case in Turkey. Lawyer, Güvercin went on, “The subject of the news item concerns Cyprus. How can we have an investigation into a crime allegedly committed in Cyprus in Turkey? This case is technically and legally impossible.”

Plaintiff party Ece Uysal and Levent Uysal’s lawyer Ferhat Pamuk requested his clients join the case as co-plaintiffs and requested sentencing for Gökdemir and Arı.

The prosecutor requested the case file 2024/349, under which İsmail Arı is being tried on charges of “insult” and “defamation” at the İstanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance to be subpoenaed. The prosecutor also requested the court to accept the plaintiff party’s request to join as co-plaintiffs.

The court accepted the request of the prosecutor and ruled to subpoena the case file 2024/349. The court also ruled the complainants’ request due to the possibility of them suffering harm from the crime and adjourned the trial until 13 May 2025.

Arı and Gökdemir are facing trial over reporting on the investigation concerning allegations of “false diplomas and corruption” at the Cyprus Health and Social Sciences University (CHSSU), of which Ece Uysal is the founder. In the social media post subject to the case, it was claimed that the university’s digital data had been deleted upon directions from Levent Uysal.

Separate cases against journalist Nurcan Yalçın merged

The second hearing in the retrial of journalist Nurcan Yalçın on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” and “terrorism propaganda” was held at the Diyarbakır 9th High Criminal Court on 26 November 2024.

Yalçın and her lawyer Resul Temur were present at the hearing.

The case against Yalçın filed on the charge of “violating the Law 6415 on the Prevention of the Financing of Terorism” was merged with the present case.

Yalçın repeated her previous defense statements at the hearing, saying that both she and Kibriye Evren are journalists. She said,a “I was Kibriye Evren's visitor at the prison. I sent the money to the person in question because she was Kibriye’s cell mate and because Kibriye owed her money. I reject the charges.”

The prosecutor requested the missing elements in the case file to be completed, while Nurcan Yalçın’s lawyer Resul Temur requested the convict in question and Kibriye Evren to be heard as witnesses. The presiding judge ruled to keep in place the ban on Yalçın travelling abroad and for the court to hear Kibriye Evren as witness and adjourned the trial until 6 May 2025.

Click here for details of the report.

Action for damages against Barış Pehlivan adjourned until March 2025

The fifth hearing in the action for damages worth TL 10,000 filed by Deputy Minister of National Defense Alpaslan Kavaklıoğlu against journalist Barış Pehlivan was held at the Ankara 23rd Civil Court of First Instance on 26 November 2024.

While Pehlivan did not attend the hearing, his lawyer Özge Naz Akkaya was present.

The trial was adjourned until 27 March 2025.

Case file to be conveyed to prosecutor’s office in Vice News trial

The 21st hearing in the trial of the US-based Vice News’s reporter Jake Hanrahan on charges of “financing a terrorist organization,” “membership in a terrorist organization” and “terrorism propaganda” and camera operator Philip Pendlebury on the charge of “membership in a terrorist organization” was held at the Diyarbakır 8th High Criminal Court on 25 November 2024.

While the defendants, who are free pending trial, did not attend the hearing, the journalists’ lawyers were present. The lawyers, who had objected to errors in the translation of the statements provided by the journalists, stated that they would deliver defense statements after the new translations are added to the case file.

The court authorized the prosecutor to prepare the opinion as to the basis and ruled to convey the opinion to defense lawyers, while allowing them time to prepare defense statements.

The trial was adjourned until 17 March 2025.

At least 29 journalists and media workers in prison

Following the imprisonment of two journalists, as of 29 November 2024, there are at least 29 journalists and media workers in prison in Turkey, either in pre-trial detention or serving a finalized prison sentence.

The full list can be accessed here.