Message from Çiğdem Mater

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Sentenced to 18 years in prison and arrested in the Gezi retrial, Çiğdem Mater has sent a message from Bakırköy Closed Women's Prison.

In her message shared by "Free Çiğdem Mater" Twitter account, Mater has said, "I hear and know your voice, your words, your support. Thank you. I am quite fine because we are quite right. Lots of love from Bakırköy."

Çiğdem'den mesaj var‼️#GeziYargılanamaz#ÇiğdemMatereÖzgürlük pic.twitter.com/4D248Uq9ua

— Çiğdem Mater'e Özgürlük (@freecigdemmater) May 4, 2022

CLICK - Gezi trial: Aggravated life sentence for Osman Kavala, 18 years in prison for seven others

At the final hearing of Gezi retrial on April 25, the İstanbul 13th High Criminal Court sentenced Kavala to aggravated life imprisonment on charge of "attempting to overthrow the government" and Mücella Yapıcı, Çiğdem Mater, Hakan Altınay, Mine Özerden, Can Atalay, Tayfun Kahraman, Yiğit Ali Ekmekçi to 18 years in prison for "aiding" this offense charged.

About Çiğdem Mater

Filmmaker, producer and journalist. She made documentaries, and short and full-length films.

Yaban (2022 - İstanbul Film Festival National Competition), Ah Asuman (2019), Silivri'den Mektuplar [Letters From Silivri] ( 2019), Sivas (2014), Soluk (2019), Toz Bezi (2015), Sivas (2014) and Çoğunluk (2010) are among her films that received award from Turkey and abroad.

She was the executive producer of international projects such as Ai Weiwei's documentary Human Flow (İnsan Seli) and Mohamed Ben Attia's Weldi.

Coordinator of Caucasian programs at Anadolü Kültür (2005-2009)

Coordinator of Boğaziçi University Alam Film Center (2009-2010)

Turkey coordinator of the Turkey-Armenia Cinema Platform.

Between 1997 and 2005, she worked as a translator, producer and reporter for international media outlets including ABC News, Boston Globe, Sky News, Radio France International, ARTE, Le Nouvel Observateur, and Los Angeles Times.

She completed her undergraduate degree in cinema at Anadolu University and her master's degree in media sociology at Marmara University.

CLICK - Who are the eight convicts of the Gezi case?

(HA/SD)