Necmiye Alpay, Özgür Gündem Board Member Arrested

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Necmiye Alpay, Özgür Gündem daily’s Publishing Consultant Board member, linguist and writer, has been arrested as a part of the investigation launched into the closed Özgür Gündem daily.  

İstanbul 8th Criminal Court of Justice ruled that Necmiye Alpay should be arrested on charges of “being a member of an armed terrorist organization” and “subverting the unity and integrity of the state” and grounds of “the content of the punishment, her publications and articles in the daily, her position in the newspaper and the fact that she would run away in case she was released”.

Went to give testimony

According to a report by Dicle News Agency (DİHA), Özgür Gündem daily’s Publishing Consultant Board member, linguist and writer Necmiye Alpay went to İstanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan to give testimony to prosecutor Umut Tepe. She was later referred to court for arrest.

Following Özgür Gündem’s closure, the newspaper’s Editor-in-Chief Zana Kaya, its Chief Editor İnan Kızılkaya and Publishing Consultant Board member Aslı Erdoğan were arrested. The former Co-Editor-in-Chief, Eren Keskin was released on probation.

About Necmiye Alpay

She is a linguist and writer, born in 1946. She graduated from Ankara University Faculty for Political Science in 1969. She did her doctorate in economics at Paris-Nanterre University.  

While she was a lecturer at Ankara University Faculty for Political Science, she was arrested by the September 12 Military Junta and stayed in Mamak Prison for three years.

After getting out of prison, she started working as a translator.

She has has written columns and articles in many newspapers and journals such as Radikal daily, translated certain works into Turkish and also published her own books. (EA/ÇT/DG)