Indictment filed for singer Gülşen; Greek journalist deported; journalists covering World Peace Day demos in Van and İstanbul threatened and harassed

 

Indictment for singer Gülşen seeks up to 3 years of imprisonment

 

An indictment has been filed for singer Gülşen Bayraktar Çolakoğlu, who goes by the stage name Gülşen, over a joke she made about religious high schools during a concert in İstanbul on 30 April 2022.

The 48-page indictment in which 702 people are listed as complainants demands the singer to be sentenced to imprisonment of between one and three years on charges of “openly inciting the public to hatred and enmity and defamation." The indictment, dated 1 September 2022, has been filed with the Penal Court of First Instance.

 

Gülşen had been the subject of an investigation due to her remarks during the concert in April, when the singer joked a member of her band's "perversion" was due to him having attended a religious school. She had been taken into custody at her home in İstanbul on 25 August 2022 and was sent to prison pending trial on the charge of “inciting the public to hatred and enmity” later in the same day. After four days in detention, Gülşen was released on 29 August on condition of house arrest.

Gülşen's lawyer said the house arrest was unlawful and pledged to take the necessary steps to have it lifted.

 

Greek journalist Evangelos Areteos deported from Turkey

 

Greek journalist Evangelos Areteos, who has reported on Turkey for almost 20 years and has been a resident in Turkey for a while has announced that he had been deported from Turkey on grounds of “disturbing public order.”

 

In a Twitter post, Areteos said that upon landing on a flight from Brussels to İstanbul’s Sabiha Gökçen Airport at 18.00 on 25 August, he was met by the police. He said that he was interrogated for seven hours in what was referred to as a “chat” and was subsequently barred from entering Turkey and deported to Brussels on the 09.40 flight on 26 August.

 

Areteos stated that from what he could understand from the questions he was asked to answer, the reasons for his deportation were a trip to south-eastern Turkey, a trip to northern Syria in 2015 and some other trips he took within Turkey. Areteos said that some other reasons were his contacts with persons deemed “suspicious” by the authorities and some photographs on his mobile phone on Kurdish activity in northern Syria, which he had acquired through a WhatsApp group.

 

ETHA reporter Elif Bayburt taken into custody

 

Etkin News Agency (ETHA) reporter Elif Bayburt was taken into custody in İstanbul on 29 August 2022 as part of an investigation on suspicion of “violation of the Law 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations." Bayburt was released on 30 August after her statement was taken.

 

News reports said the investigation against Bayburt stemmed from her participation in a demonstration in Kadıköy, İstanbul that was held to draw attention to the housing issues of students.

 

Journalists covering World Peace Day demonstrations threatened, harassed

 

Journalists covering a march that was intended to be held after a World Peace Day demonstration organized by the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) on 1 September 2022 in the eastern province of Van were assaulted by police officers.

 

Police officers forced Mesut Bağcı, one of the journalists covering the march on the ground, assaulted him and broke his video camera. A plainclothes officer who introduced himself as a member of the Anti-Terrorism Branch threatened to kill Mezopotamya Agency reporter Berivan Kutlu and JinNews reporter Zelal Tunç. “I’ll shoot you and no one will be able to find you," the police officer said to the journalists.

 

The same officer drew his weapon against JinNews reporter Elfazi Toral. The incidents were caught on images recorded at the event. Police officers also frequently prevented journalists from obtaining images and tried to break their video cameras.

 

It was reported that some officers at the Directorate of Security had called some journalists in Van and threatened them against publishing images from the police intervention. The journalists who were assaulted, received death threats and whose equipment was damaged will issue a criminal complaint outside the Van branch of the Human Rights Association (İHD).

 

In İstanbul, bianet reporter Tuğçe Yılmaz was harassed by police officers during a demonstration held in Kadıköy to mark 1 September World Peace Day. While covering some demonstrators being taken into custody by the police, Yılmaz shouted out that she was being harassed by a police officer who was groping her breast. The person in question was forced away by other police officers, while a senior officer said to Yılmaz that “You could file a criminal complaint."

 

Journalists covering urban transformation in Tokatköy and Tozkoparan obstructed by police

 

Tokatköy neighborhood in the İstanbul district of Beykoz was cordoned off by the police early in the morning of 1 September 2022 for the eviction of residents and the demolition of houses falling under a development project being carried out by the Ministry of the Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change and the Municipality of Beykoz. Journalists and lawyers were not let into the neighborhood after the police declared the area a “secure zone.” Police officers used their shields to push back Halk TV reporter Erdinç Yılmaz, who was covering the evictions and demolitions and forced him away from the area.

 

Journalists who wanted to cover the demolitions under a gentrification project in Tozkoparan neighborhood in the İstanbul district of Güngören on 29 August were prevented from entering the neighborhood by the police.

 

Police raid journalists’ room in Ankara

 

In Ankara, a room in the courthouse used by journalists was raided by police officers after they photographed Ünsal Ban, the former president of Turkish Aeronautical Association University and spouse of AKP MP Zehra Taşkesenlioğlu who was named in the bribery network allegations by crime boss Sedat Peker, as he was being brought to the Ankara Courthouse following his arrest.

 

In the incident that took place on 2 September, the police reportedly threatened journalists not to publish the photos. One of the officers reportedly told the journalists to wait for their chief, who would review the photos taken by the journalists. “You can publish them only if our chief gives permission,” the officer told the journalists.

 

Journalists covering the Justice Watch obstructed by the police

 

On 28 August, the police tried to prevent journalists from recording images of the Şenyaşar family, who continue their Justice Watch at the entrance to the Şanlıurfa Courthouse. The police fell back upon the objections of the family.

 

Emine Şenyaşar’s husband and two sons had been killed in a firefight between shopkeepers and AKP MP for Urfa İbrahim Halil Yıldız’s bodyguards and associates on 14 June 2018. Emine Şenyaşar, and Ferit Şenyaşar who survived the attack with injuries, had begun the Justice Watch outside Urfa Courthouse on 9 March 2021.

 

Journalists Ergin Çağlar and Rozerin Gültekin face trial for covering protest

 

Mezopotamya Agency reporter Ergin Çağlar and JinNews reporter Rozerin Gültekin are to stand trial on the charge of “violation of the Law No. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations” in connection with a banned march held in the western province of Bursa on 12 June 2022 to call for an end to isolation of PKK’s jailed leader Abdullah Öcalan.

Around 10 people, including Çağlar and Gültekin, had been taken into custody when the police intervened against the march. All the people detained had been released following processing at the Bursa Directorate of Security.

 

Following the investigation launched by the Chief Prosecutor’s Office of Bursa into the march, an indictment was drawn up for Çağlar and Gültekin that demands imprisonment of between 18 months and three years. The indictment on Çağlar was accepted by the Bursa 29th Criminal Court of First Instance, with the first hearing set for 6 December 2022. The indictment on Gültekin was accepted by the Seferihisar Criminal Court of First Instance, with the first hearing set for 25 October 2022.

Journalists covering Enes Kara protests to stand trial

 

A case has been filed against participants in a protest held in İstanbul on 14 January 2022 following the suicide of university student Enes Kara in Elazığ and journalists covering the demonstration.

 

83 people, including Yeni Yaşam newspaper reporter Yadigar Aygün and Yeni Demokrasi reporter Tuba Apaydın, had been taken into custody for participating in the protest. A case has been filed with the 25th Penal Court of First Instance against the detainees.

 

“Terrorism” investigation against journalist Öznur Değer dismissed

 

An investigation launched by the Mardin Chief Prosecutor’s Office investigation into JinNews reporter Öznur Değer on allegations of “terrorism propaganda” over her social media posts has concluded with a decision for lack of grounds to prosecute. Journalist Değer had been under investigation over the photographs she had taken at the Democratic Regions Party (DBP) congress and the Newroz celebrations in the Erciş district of Van.

 

Investigation launched into İstanbul Security Branch Director Zengin who threatened camera operator Bilal Meyveci

 

An investigation has begun into İstanbul Security Branch Director Hanifi Zengin, who had obstructed and threatened Artı TV camera operator Bilal Meyveci when covering a protest in July.

During the protest, held by healthcare workers after the murder on duty of a doctor by relatives of a patient, Zengin had threatened camera operator Meyveci by saying “Did you get it, did you get me stepping on your foot? Did you get me stepping on your foot, if not, we’ll meet again” as he covered the protest.

 

The Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA) Legal Team, which represents Meyveci, had filed a criminal complaint with the İstanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office on allegations of “abuse of duty,” “threats” and “violation of the freedom to work and employment.”

 

Twitter Transparency Report ranks Turkey 4th for removal of content requests

 

Twitter has published its transparency report for July-December 2021, which lists removal of content requests from governments. According to the report, Turkey ranks fourth, after Japan, Russia and South Korea in the list of countries whose official bodies have filed the most requests for removal of content on legal grounds. During the period concerned, Turkey made 4,284 different requests for removal of content concerning 8,496 accounts, while 540 tweets and 62 accounts were blocked. Compared to the first six months of 2021, there was a 24 percent increase in removal of content requests from Turkey, while the number of blocked tweets and accounts doubled. Turkey is second country that has made most requests to block journalists, after India.

At least 69 journalists, media employees behind bars in Turkey

There are at least 69 journalists and media employees who are in prison either pending trial or serving sentence in Turkey as of 5 September 2022.

The full list can be accessed here.