Campaign on social media: ‘Free Çiğdem Mater’

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A social media campaign has been launched for Çiğdem Mater, who has been sentenced to 18 years in prison and arrested for "aiding the attempted overthrow of the government" in the Gezi retrial.

In a message shared by @freecigdemmater Twitter account, it is said that the account may be followed to send messages to Çiğdem Mater, who is currently held in Bakırköy Women's Closed Prison in İstanbul: "Follow @freecigdemmater accounts to send your messages to our dearest friend #ÇiğdemMater and to get news about Çiğdem. #FreeCigdemMater"

We write and paint and post to Çiğdem.
Even though they separate us by walls and iron bars, we shall not give up.
You can send your letters for #ÇiğdemMater to Bakırköy Kadın Kapalı CİK, Gençler Cd. No:16, 34147 Bakırköy/İstanbul.#FreeCigdemMater pic.twitter.com/IdQmjys7RE

— Çiğdem Mater'e Özgürlük (@freecigdemmater) May 3, 2022

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

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

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?

(EMK/SD)