Ten journalists stood trial on 'terrorism' charges in two weeks

Ten journalists stood trial for "terrorism-related" offenses in the last two weeks, according to bianet's Media Monitoring Database.

One journalist was acquitted, two journalists won a case against Turkey at the ECtHR, one journalist was released from house arrest.

Here is a summary of the cases:

The Redhack trial

Journalists Tunca Öğreten and Mahir Kanaat spent more than 300 days in pre-trial detention for reporting on leaked emails of then Energy Minister Berat Albayrak in late 2016.

They faced several charges, including "propagandizing for an illegal organization," "blocking, damaging information system, destroying or changing data," "membership of an illegal organization," "committing crimes on behalf of terrorist organizations as a non-member."

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) concluded on May 18 that the arrests of Kanaat and Öğreten caused a rights violation.

What happened?

On December 25, 2016, BirGün newspaper employee Mahir Kanaat, Diken news website's former editor Tunca Öğreten, closed Dicle News Agency's News Director Ömer Çelik, its former reporter Metin Yoksu, Yolculuk Newspaper's Chief Editor Eray Sargın and Etkin News Agency's Managing Editor Derya Okatan were detained for reporting on the emails of Berat Albayrak, the then Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, that were shared by RedHack.

Held in detention for 24 days, Öğreten, Kanaat and Çelik were arrested; the other journalists were released on January 17, 2017.

Çelik, Okatan, Yoksu and Sargın were charged with "propagandizing for an organization", "blocking, damaging information system, destroying or changing data", while Kanaat was charged with "membership of an organization" and Öğreten was charged with "committing crimes on behalf of the FETÖ and DHKP-C as a non-member."

Arrested as part of the same investigation, the files of Die Welt reporter Deniz Yücel, journalist Fatih Yağmur and one person coded as "unknown person" were separated from the file of the other defendants.

The indictment was prepared six months later and the first hearing was held on October 24, 2017. Ömer Çelik was released at the first hearing. At the second hearing of the trial held on December 6, 2017, Tunca Öğreten and Mahir Kanaat, arrested for 323 days, were released with an international travel ban and a judicial control measure of giving signatures twice a week

The individual applications of Öğreten and Kanaat to Turkey's Constitutional Court remained inconclusive.

Vice News reporters

Vice news correspondent Jacob Philip John Gingell Hanrahan, cameraman Philip John Pendlebury, their translator Mohamed Ismael Rasool and driver Abdurrahman Direkci were detained on 28 August 2015 when they came to Diyarbakır to shoot a documentary about the life under curfew in Cizre, Silopi, Nusaybin and Sur, Kurdish-majority districts in the southeast where violent clashes between the army and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) were going on at the time.

Charged with "knowingly and willingly aiding an armed terrorist organization as a non-member" and "propagandizing for a terrorist organization," prosecutors seek up to 67 years of imprisonment for the four people.

At the last hearing held on May 20, 2021, the court board adjourned the trial to await the reply to the request for letters rogatory for the defendants, who are not currently in Turkey. The next hearing will be held on November 23.

Melis Alphan

Standing trial for sharing a photo on social media that she took during the Newroz celebrations in Turkey's Kurdish-majority southeastern province of Diyarbakır in 2015, journalist Melis Alphan was acquitted of "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" on May 21.

Kenan Kırkaya

Journalist Kenan Kırkaya is on trial for "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" due to his social media posts he shared in 2014 and 2015. At the 13th hearing on May 21, the court adjourned the trial until September 28.

Pınar Gayıp

Journalist Pınar Gayıp was arrested in April 2018 and put on trial for "being a member of a terrorist organization" and "propagandizing for a terrorist organization."

On May 21, the court lifted her house arrest after five months.

Selman Keleş

Selman Keleş, a reporter for the now-closed Dicle News Agency, was put on trial for "being a member of a terrorist organization" in March 2017. After spending eight months in pre-trial detention, he was released in November 2017.

The agency was shut down in 2016 by a statutory decree due to its alleged ties to the PKK during the state of emergency declared following the July 2016 coup attempt.

At the last hearing on May 25, the court board accepted the excuse of Selman Keleş's attorney Barış Oflas and adjourned the hearing. The next hearing will be held on September 7.

Mehmet Aslan

Spending four months in pre-trial detention, Mesopotamia Agency (MA) reporter Mehmet Aslan was released after his first hearing on May 26. He is charged with "being a member of a terrorist organization" and "making news agitating/provoking masses."

Can Dündar

After the acquittals were overturned in the case concerning the 2013 Gezi Park protests, the first hearing was held on May 21.

About Media Monitoring Database

The Media Monitoring Database is based on BİA Media Monitoring Reports, which have provided a dependable and concise account of rights violations concerning freedom of expression in Turkey since 2001.

The Database aims to create a data center through which the cases and interventions against journalists and media outlets can be monitored.

With the database, we bring together lawsuits and other legislative, judicial or administrative interferences with the right to freedom of expression of journalists and media organizations.

Click for all Media Monitoring Database summary reports

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