31 May 19 | Belarus, Belarus Incident Reports
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Index on Censorship’s Monitoring and Advocating for Media Freedom project tracks press freedom violations in five countries: Azerbaijan, Belarus, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine. Learn more.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”8 Incidents” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”Blogger Piatrukhin detained to prevent him from covering ecological protest in Brest” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]
26 May 2019 – Blogger Siarhei Piatrukhin was preventively detained by the Brest police on the basis of a flimsy pretext and taken to the Leninski district police department shortly before the start of an ecological protest. He had to spend about an hour at the station.
For more than a year, Brest residents have been protesting against the construction and launch of the iPower battery plant in the Brest free economic zone which may harm the environment in the region.
Link(s)
https://belsat.eu/en/news/ahead-of-protests-brest-blogger-preventively-detained/
Categories: Arrest/Detention; Blocked Access
Source of violation: Police/State security[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”President signs decree allowing the blocking of websites during the European Games” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]
20 May 2019 – President Lukashenko signed decree №19 on security measures during the European Games in Minsk (17 June to 2 July).
The authorities intend to temporarily block all the websites calling for participation in unauthorized protests during the European Games in Belarus. According to the document, from 20 May to 30 June this year such websites are to be detected and to be blacklisted within 24 hours.
In addition, the decree also prohibits the use drones at sports venues, hotels and fan zones during the European Games. Unauthorised drones will be seized until 2 July. The exception is the equipment belonging to the governmental bodies and the Games organizers.
Link(s)
https://baj.by/en/content/belarusian-government-block-websites-calling-protests-during-european-games
http://charter97.link/en/news/2019/5/21/334837/
Category: Legal Measures
Source of violation: Government[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Investigative journalist makes statement on his discrediting by Russian propaganda websites” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]16 May 2019 – The editor of the Belarusian service of the International Volunteer Community Inform Napalm and journalist for the Novy Chas newspaper Dzianis Ivashyn made an official statement on the smear campaign against him by some Russian websites. Ivashyn noted that some representatives of Belarusian media outlets are engaged in this campaign as well. The campaign began in mid-April 2019.
The main participants of the campaign, according to Ivashyn, are antimaydan.info, news-front.info, novorosinform.org, politnavigator.net, telegram channels 338 and Trikotazh and several others.
Ivashyn said he believes security ministries of the Russian Federation are behind the campaign due to the nature, method and channels of dissemination of disinformation about him.
Link(s)
https://baj.by/be/content/belaruski-zhurnalist-zayaulyae-pra-cisk-z-boku-rasiyskih-internet-resursau
Categories: Online Discredit
Source of violation: Another media[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Investigative journalist makes statement on his discrediting by Russian propaganda websites” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]16 May 2019 – The editor of the Belarusian service of the International Volunteer Community Inform Napalm and journalist for the Novy Chas newspaper Dzianis Ivashyn made an official statement on the smear campaign against him by some Russian websites. Ivashyn noted that some representatives of Belarusian media outlets are engaged in this campaign as well. The campaign began in mid-April 2019.
The main participants of the campaign, according to Ivashyn, are antimaydan.info, news-front.info, novorosinform.org, politnavigator.net, telegram channels 338 and Trikotazh and several others.
Ivashyn said he believes security ministries of the Russian Federation are behind the campaign due to the nature, method and channels of dissemination of disinformation about him.
Link(s)
https://baj.by/be/content/belaruski-zhurnalist-zayaulyae-pra-cisk-z-boku-rasiyskih-internet-resursau
Categories: Online Discredit
Source of violation: Another media[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Radio Racyja’s journalist failed to obtain accreditation from foreign ministry” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]15 May 2019 – The Belarusian ministry of foreign affairs denied accreditation to Yauhen Skrabets, a journalist for the Belarusian Radio Raciya (Poland), as a foreign correspondent.
In response to Yauhen Vapa, the head of the radio station, the ministry said that the accreditation had been denied because Radio Raciya had previously used non-accredited journalists in the last six months.
Link(s)
https://baj.by/be/content/mzs-belarusi-admovila-u-akredytacyi-yashche-adnamu-zhurnalistu-radyyo-racyya-kopiya-adkazu
Categories: Blocked Access; Legal Measures
Source of violation: State Agency[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Two independent journalist from Vitsebsk fined” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]15 May 2019 – The trial of independent journalists Alena Shabunia and Viachaslau Lazarau took place in the Navapolatsk town court. A judge found both journalists guilty of “illegal production and distribution of media content” under Article 22.9 of the Code of Administrative Offenses and fined them 637.50 Belarusian rubles (more than 300 dollars) each.
The pair were on trial because their video of an accident at the Polimir Navapolatsk enterprise was shown on Belsat TV channel.
Link(s)
http://charter97.link/en/news/2019/5/16/334236/
https://baj.by/be/content/vicebskih-zhurnalistau-ashtrafavali-za-videasyuzhet-pra-avaryyu-na-zavodze-palimir
Category: Fines
Source(s) of violation: Police, Court[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Foreign Ministry refused to accredit Radio Racyja journalist for the tenth time” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]14 May 2019 – A foreign ministry officer told Hrodna journalist Victar Parfionenka in a telephone conversation that he has been denied accreditation again.
Parfionenka has been contributing to the Belarusian Radio Racyja registered in Poland for 10 years. Every year he appeals to the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for accreditation as a foreign correspondent and always gets rejected.
Link(s)
https://m.charter97.org/ru/news/2019/5/13/333944/
Categories: Blocked Access; Legal Measures
Source of violation: State Agency[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Ingush blogger detained and deported to Russia without trial” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]10 May 2019 – The authorities have ordered the extra-judicial deportation of Russian critical blogger Ismail Nalgiev after his arrest in the Minsk airport on 8 May 2019.
His lawyer said law enforcement agencies did not disclose the reasons for the blogger’s arrest. Nalgiev has been held in the detention center in Minsk since he was arrested at the airport while he was trying to leave Belarus. He was told that he was on the Russian list of wanted persons. Then the blogger was told that he was charged with a misdemeanor.
It was expected that the charge would be considered on May 10 by the Kastrychnicki district court of Minsk, but in the morning the detainee’s lawyer was informed that there would be no trial and Nalgiev had already been deported.
Link(s)
http://charter97.link/en/news/2019/5/10/333562/
https://belsat.eu/en/news/ingush-blogger-ismail-nalgiev-expelled-from-belarus-without-trial/
http://spring96.org/en/news/92886
https://baj.by/be/content/ingushskogo-blogera-vyslali-iz-belarusi-bez-suda
Categories: Arrest/Detention; Legal Measures
Source of violation: Police/State security[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”More on this case” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”107022″ img_size=”full” onclick=”custom_link” link=”https://www.indexoncensorship.org/2019/05/blogger-and-human-rights-defender-ismail-nalgiev-extra-judicially-deported-from-belarus/”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Journalists among those barred from attending a session on redevelopment in Minsk” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]3 May 2019 – Journalists were not allowed to attend the session on the redevelopment of a section of the center of Minsk, which was held in the Pershamaiski district administration of Minsk behind closed doors.
Two dozen local residents, who had submitted written appeals to be present at the session, gathered at the door, but they and media outlets — Radio Liberty and news website TUT.by — were barred from attending.
When Radio Liberty’s Ina Studzinskaya approached the door, a police senior lieutenant roughly threw her out of the office.
Link(s):
https://www.svaboda.org/a/29918765.html
http://charter97.link/ru/news/2019/5/3/332790/
Categories: Blocked Access, Physical Assault
Source of violation: State Agency, Police[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_basic_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”4″ element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1560769127972-f4b1801a-f015-7″ taxonomies=”8996″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
22 May 19 | Media Freedom, News and features, Russia
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Key trends:
- The targeting of newsrooms comes amid growing hostility towards journalists within the general public, and the enactment of new legislation by the government supposedly targeting “fake news” and propaganda. In addition, the lack of accountability for crimes against journalists and news outlets contributes to an overall atmosphere of impunity.
- New legislation is making it difficult to publish material that contradicts the official version of events.
- Russians have been facing an unprecedented spate of bomb threats. The media has not been immune.
This report looks at 116 incidents that Index on Censorship’s Monitoring and Advocating for Media Freedom project classified as threats, limitations or violations of press freedom in Russia between 1 February 2019 and 30 April 2019: 43 in February, 43 in March and 30 in April. The total number of reports collected by project correspondents represents a slight increase over the same period last year, during which 101 incidents were recorded.
In 2018, physical assaults, legislative measures, fines, intimidation and loss of employment were the most pressing obstacles to press freedom as reported by Mapping Media Freedom. So far in 2019, we have seen a rise in the number of fines, intimidation and physical violence against journalists, with an addition of lawsuits and legal measures, blocked access, and detention of media workers.
Index on Censorship’s Monitoring and Advocating for Media Freedom project documents, analyses, and publicises threats, limitations and violations related to media freedom in Azerbaijan, Belarus, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine, in order to identify possible opportunities for advancing media freedom in these countries. The project collects, analyses and publicises limitations, threats and violations that affect journalists as they do their job, and advocates for greater press freedom in these countries and raises alerts at the international level.
The project builds on Index on Censorship’s 4.5 years monitoring media freedom in 43 European countries, as part of Mapping Media Freedom platform.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Targeting of newsrooms” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_single_image image=”106949″ img_size=”full”][vc_column_text]
The targeting of newsrooms comes amid a growing hostility toward journalists within the general public, and the enactment of new legislation that purportedly targets “fake news” and propaganda. In addition, the lack of accountability for crimes against journalists and news outlets contributes to an overall atmosphere of impunity.
“You’re going to die, small fry”
At 8.30am on 1 April 2019, the Yekaterinburg regional office of Kommersant, a national daily newspaper in Russia, was found to have been vandalised. The newspaper primarily focuses on political and business affairs. Sergey Plakhotin, the general director of the regional office, said that the cleaner had arrived to find the door to the office open. Plakhotin’s office, the chief editor’s office and the senior accountant’s office had all been vandalised; computers were on the floor and hard drives were missing. On his desk, Plakhotin found a note: “you’re going to die small fry”. Plakhotin believes that the door was opened with a key.
Within hours, police detained an unemployed 46-year old local man, who has been charged with “intentional damage to property”, which is punishable by up to five years in jail.
According to law enforcement, the suspect pleaded guilty, saying that he had committed the vandalism while under the influence of alcohol. He also told police that he had “personal motives” that were not in connection with Kommersant’s journalistic work. The individual was released but was barred from traveling.
However, Kommersant journalists didn’t rule out a possibility that the attack could be a retaliation for their award-winning new book Gang Catchers: The Meeting Point, which details the fight against organised crime in Yekaterinburg. Platokhin told Echo Moskvy radio that he wasn’t convinced about the connection to criminal syndicates, as the newsroom didn’t have any ongoing conflicts, and cited the time of year, namely vesennye obostreniye (“spring fever”) was likely to blame.
“Justifying Terrorism”
On 13 February 2019, police in Pskov raided the office of the local weekly newspaper, Pskovskaya Gubernia. Police confiscated a hard drive containing the next issue of the paper and, as a result, editors were forced to delay publication.
Editor-in-chief, Denis Kamalyagin, said that the raid was most likely a response to the newspaper’s support of journalist and previous contributor, Svetlana Prokopyeva. Prokopyeva is currently under investigation for allegedly “justifying terrorism” (a criminal offense in Russia) on her radio show. In October 2018, she discussed the causes of an explosion in the Federal Security Services office in Arkhangelsk.
Grani
On 25 March 2019, the opposition news outlet Grani was targeted. The glass doors of their office in Novocheboksarsk were smashed. The vandal has not been found and a motive has not been established. Random and seemingly baseless attacks create tension in newsrooms and feed the overarching atmosphere of hostility toward journalists in the country.
On 26 March 2019, a office block in Perm, which houses five different media outlets owned by holding company Mestnoye Vremya, had its electricity supply cut. Sources close to the owner of the facility, who is also head of the local branch of the ruling political party United Russia, said that he disliked a programme that had criticised his work that had aired on the Echo Moskvy affiliate owned by Mestnoye Vremya. However, the “official” account held that the electricity cut was related to rent arrears. Mestnoye Vremya partially paid the debt in April to avoid immediate eviction. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Restrictive laws” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_single_image image=”106950″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes”][vc_column_text]
New legislation is making it difficult to publish material that contradicts the official version of events.
On 18 March 2019 Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a set of controversial bills that criminalises spreading “fake news” and bans online shows of “disrespect” against the government, its officials, society, and state symbols.
Fake news
Federal law from 18.03.2019 № 30-FZ on revision of the Federal law on information, information technologies and protection of information
For publishing “fake information of public value” private individuals could now face fines ranging from 30,000 ($462) to 100,000 rubles ($1,538), government officials – from 60,000 ($923) to 200,000 ($3,077) rubles, judicial entities – from 200,000 to 500,000 rubles ($7,695). Last-minute editions to the bill allowed registered mass media to promptly delete any material that was found to be “fake news” to avoid fines.
Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesperson, pointed to harsh regulations toward fake news being enacted around the world, including Europe, in justification of why the legislation was introduced and signed by the president. He was referring to the laws compelling social media companies to remove hate speech and other illegal content in France and Germany. In April 2019, the UK government released a white paper that proposed a regulatory framework to address “online harms”, including disinformation.
Prior to Putin’s approval of the law, Mikhail Fedotov, chairman of the Russian Human Rights Council, asked Putin to send the legislation back for revisions and stated the use of the term “fake news” implied that the state possessed the knowledge of “absolute truth”, whereas truth is always relative.
Journalists also criticised the legislation. “It looks like in its current form the law is aimed at protecting the elites rather than protecting society. It becomes an instrument of pressure on the media”, RBC editorial board co-manager Elizaveta Golikova told Vedomosti newspaper. Golikova added that the lack of definition for “fake news” meant that it was inevitable that meaningful information and important news would be removed from the web.
On his radio programme on 16 March, Alexey Venediktov, editor-in-chief of Echo Moskvy, addressed the issue: “The main catch with these laws […] is that the decision will be made by one person – the prosecutor. It’s an extrajudicial decision… which will start ruining business for those who do it. It’s a zone for lawlessness and corruption. Because if I’d like to shut down our competitors at Mayak radio, I’d just pay a bribe. And the prosecutor will shut them down. And then they’ll struggle for two years to reopen”.
Disrespect of the government
The second new restrictive law bans online shows of “disrespect” against the government, its officials, society, and state symbols. To qualify as disrespectful an article, comment or post “…must not only show obvious disrespect and be made in an inappropriate form, but also insult human dignity and public morality” according to the law. The publication of such material could lead to snowballing fines: 30,000 -100,000 rubles for the first offense, up to 200,000 rubles or 15 days detention for the second, and after that 300,000 rubles ($4,615) fine or arrest.
This law was used for the first time on 2 April 2019. The general prosecutor’s office supposedly gave directions to the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media, also known as Roskomnadzor, to force five Yaroslavl-based media outlets remove articles on graffiti that allegedly insulted President Putin. The graffiti (“Putin pidor”) suggested in an explicit form that Russian president was gay. Roskomnadzor called it preventive work.
Yaroslavl website Yarkub received an email demanding that they delete the article about the grafiti by midnight. Yarkub’s editor-in-chief later received a phone call from Roskomnadzor’s regional department. Yarkub saw the situation as an act of censorship. Another email from Roskomnadzor clarified that the article had to be deleted due to the new law about “disrespecting authorities” that came into force on 29 March, TJournal website reported.
Olga Prokhorova, the editor of another Yaroslavl-based media outlet, 76.ru, received five calls from Roskomnadzor with requests to delete a similar article about the graffiti. She was told by the officials that they were pressured “from far above” to prosecute media that published articles on the subject. However, the general prosecutor’s office denied any involvement, Interfax reported.
TJournal named five outlets that ended up deleting materials covering the graffiti: Echo Moskvy Yaroslavl, Yaroslavskiy Region, PRO Gorod, Pervyi Yaroslavskiy and Moskovskiy Komsomolets in Yaroslavl.
Another bill, approved by the Russian Duma in the first out of three readings on 2 April, includes potential fines for “unsanctioned” distribution of foreign press. Since 2017 foreign press distributors in Russia have had to seek official permission from state media regulator Roskomnadzor. The new bill classifies a violation of the law as an administrative offence, introduces fines of up to 30,000 rubles ($462) and decrees that the printed material will be seized.
It is not yet clear whether the bill would only address mass distribution or could be used to punish individuals who order a foreign magazine from abroad or bring one into the country on their return. The bill is reminiscent of the Soviet censoring mechanism, where most foreign press and literature was banned, and the limited quantities entering the country ended up in restricted sections of Russian state libraries – for official use only.
Reaction
The Russian president’s Human Rights Council published a resolution in which it called the laws “an obviously disproportionate restriction of freedom of speech and opinion”, and stated they “form a ground for arbitrary persecution of citizens and organizations”.
OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir said in a statement: “These laws allow for broader restrictions and the censorship of online journalism and online speech. The definitions of allegedly offensive content are vaguely worded and will impact freedom of expression”.
Despite the criticism and concerns about threats to freedom of speech raised by journalists, activists and the Human Rights Council, both laws passed. When asked about the laws, the Kremlin spokesperson said neither could be classified as “censorship.” [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Bomb threats” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_single_image image=”106951″ img_size=”full”][vc_column_text]In early February, the staff of the news outlet Gazeta.ru became victims of the “telephone terrorism” they had been covering. An anonymous, and ultimately a hoax, bomb threat forced the evacuation of the news outlet’s offices. Staff were unable to update the website or prepare articles for publication. Gazeta’s journalists said that the targeting of their organisation was tied into a national trend: in early 2019, more than 2 million people were forced to flee anonymous threats of explosives planted in shopping malls, railway stations and offices.
On 15 February 2019, Russkoye Radio, one of the biggest radio networks in Russia , and Zvezda TV were both forced to evacuate their offices . Staffers had to wait for bomb sniffing dogs and police to give them the all-clear before they could return to work. On that same day over 5,000 people at 10 different Moscow-based businesses were forced to leave their offices because of threats.
In mid-March state broadcaster VGTRK was the target. Twenty employees working in a film studio had to leave the premises because of an anonymous bomb threat received by email.
In none of the cases were any traces of explosives discovered, and the callers were not identified. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Terrorism charges” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_single_image image=”106954″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes”][vc_column_text]Svetlana Prokopieva, a Pskov bureau reporter for Echo Moskvy, was detained — and the radio station fined — on charges related to justifying terrorism in her show. During one of the programs she discussed the causes of an explosion in the Federal Security Services office in Arkhangelsk in October 2018.
Omsk journalist Viktor Korb fled Russia on 25 February 2019, becoming one of the dozens of journalists who have left Russia for fear of being prosecuted or because of threats to their lives. He was charged with “propaganda of terrorism” after publishing the last word of a blogger jailed for “calls to terrorism”, put under travel ban, and is now on the wanted list.
On 27 April 2019, armed police officers broke into an apartment in Makhachkala belonging to the parents of Alexandr Gorbunov, who was earlier named by RBC news outlet as author of a popular anonymous Telegram channel called Stalingulag. The channel is known for outspoken, often slangy criticism of the authorities. According to the channel, Gorbunov’s mother was interrogated for six hours.
According to Stalingulag, police wanted Gorbunov on suspicion of “phone terrorism”, related to a series of phone calls with bomb threats that turned out to be fake but caused mass evacuations in Moscow. “How original, before they used to just plant drugs”, the author commented in his Telegram channel, referring to a known tactic of criminal case fabrication against activists.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Press Freedom Violations in Russia” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]
Number and types of incidents recorded between 1 February and 30 April 2019
[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner css=”.vc_custom_1558428123542{background-color: #f4f4f4 !important;}”][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]
0
Death/Killing
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]
11
Physical Assault/Injury
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]
18
Arrest/Detention/Interrogation
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]
18
Criminal Charges/Fines/Sentences
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]
20
Intimidation
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]
9
Blocked Access
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner css=”.vc_custom_1558428157046{background-color: #f4f4f4 !important;}”][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]
10
Attack to Property
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]
12
Subpoena/Court Order/Lawsuits
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]
2
Legal Measures/Legislation
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]
0
Offine Harassment
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]
0
Online Harassment
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]
2
DDoS/Hacking/Doxing
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner css=”.vc_custom_1558428169374{background-color: #f4f4f4 !important;}”][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]
8
Censorship
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_separator][vc_column_text]
Source of the incidents recorded between 1 February and 30 April 2019
[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner css=”.vc_custom_1558428178637{background-color: #f4f4f4 !important;}”][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]
4
Employer/Publisher/Colleague(s)
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]
28
Police/State Security
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]
7
Private Security
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]
19
Court/Judicial
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]
23
Government official(s)/State Agency/Political Party
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]
3
Corporation
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner css=”.vc_custom_1558428186205{background-color: #f4f4f4 !important;}”][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]
12
Known private individual(s)
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]
0
Another Media Outlet
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]
0
Criminal Organisation
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]
13
Unknown
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]
30 Apr 19 | Turkey, Turkey Incident Reports
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Index on Censorship’s Monitoring and Advocating for Media Freedom project tracks press freedom violations in five countries: Azerbaijan, Belarus, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine. Learn more.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”32 Incidents” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]
UPDATE: Compensation case against journalist Uludağ sent to commercial court
30 April 2019 – A compensation case filed against journalist Alican Uludağ by the discount market chain BİM, seeking TL 250,000 in non-pecuniary damages for a news report Uludağ penned for the Cumhuriyet daily, got under way in an Istanbul court.
BİM is accusing Uludağ of damaging the company’s brand through his report and two social media posts.
Uludağ’s lawyer addressed the Anadolu 9th Civil Court of First Instance during the hearing, explaining to the court that Uludağ’s tweets and his report were part of press freedom, P24 reported.
At the end of the hearing, the Anadolu 9th Civil Court of First Instance ruled that it had no jurisdiction over the case and sent the case file to a commercial court.
Link(s):
https://twitter.com/P24DavaTakip/status/1123119872710516738
https://www.evrensel.net/haber/378539/gazeteci-alican-uludaga-acilan-tazminat-davasinda-gorevsizlik-karari
Categories: Subpoena / Court Order / Lawsuits
Source of violation: Subpoena / Court Order / Lawsuits
Yurt newspaper chief editor briefly detained
30 April 2019 – Ali Avcu, the editor-in-chief of Yurt newspaper, was taken into custody on at the Alibeyköy Police Station in Istanbul. Avcu was later referred to the Kartal Courthouse, where he was released after giving his statement. Avcu was detained on the grounds of a book he wrote in 2018, the newspaper reported.
Link(s):
http://www.yurtgazetesi.com.tr/medya/yurtboyunegmez-ali-avcu-serbest-birakildi-manidar-gerekce-h126485.html
https://gazetekarinca.com/2019/04/yurt-gazetesi-genel-yayin-yonetmeni-ali-avcu-serbest-birakildi/
https://tr.sputniknews.com/turkiye/201904301038902118-yurt-gazetesi-genel-yayin-yonetmeni-avcu-gozaltina-alindi/
Categories: Arrest / Detention / Interrogation
Source of violation: Police / State security
UPDATE: Court keeps Adil Demirci’s travel ban in place
30 April 2019 – Etkin news agency (ETHA) reporter Adil Demirci appeared before an Istanbul court for his trial on the charges of “membership in a terrorist group” and “disseminating propaganda for a terrorist group.” This was the fifth hearing in the case, overseen by the 25th High Criminal Court of Istanbul.
Demirci, who also holds a German passport, is among 23 defendants in the case. Of the 23, four are in pre-trial detention. Demirci was released at the end of the previous hearing in February.
During the hearing, which was also observed by representatives from the German Consulate-General in Istanbul, the prosecutor asked the court to release the remaining jailed defendants based on available evidence and the time they spent in detention.
The presiding judge asked Demirci about a criminal intelligence report alleging that Demirci “went to Syria and Iraq as a courier.” Demirci denied the allegation and told the court that he has never been to Syria or Iraq. His lawyer Keleş Öztürk said the intelligence report about Demirci was an unlawfully drafted document and should therefore be removed from the case file.
Demirci also requested the court to lift his travel ban. The court refused to lift the judicial control measures imposed on Demirci and adjourned the trial until 15 October 2019.
Link(s):
https://twitter.com/P24DavaTakip/status/1123191447056994307
https://www.dw.com/en/german-turkish-journalist-adil-demirci-forced-to-stay-in-turkey/a-48556233
https://www.zeit.de/gesellschaft/zeitgeschehen/2019-04/adil-demirci-tuerkei-terrorvorwurf-sozialarbeiter-koeln-prozess-heimreise
Categories: Criminal Charges / Fines / Sentences
Source of violation: Court / Judicial
UPDATE: Ahmet Altan acquitted in lawsuit filed by former chief of general staff
26 April 2019 – Two separate lawsuits where imprisoned journalist and author Ahmet Altan is accused of “insult,” “attempting to influence trial process,” and “violation of confidentiality” were heard at the Anadolu 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance.
The court first heard the lawsuit where Altan is accused of “violating the confidentiality of an investigation”and “attempting to influence courtroom proceedings” for his article titled “Mafyanın dışında kim kaldı” (Who is left other than the mafia), published in 2009 in the Taraf daily, which was closed down during the State of Emergency.
Issuing an interim ruling at the end of the hearing, the judge said the case would be dismissed on the condition that a judicial fine worth a total of TL 1,061 is paid within 10 days, P24 reported. The court postponed the trial until 25 June.
The court later heard the second lawsuit, which was filed by İlker Başbuğ, the former chief of General Staff. Altan was charged with “insult” in the case, which concerned an article he wrote in 2010 in the Taraf daily. The court acquitted Altan of the charge, ruling that the legal elements of the crime were not present.
Link(s):
https://expressioninterrupted.com/ahmet-altan-acquitted-in-lawsuit-filed-by-former-chief-of-general-staff/
https://t24.com.tr/haber/ahmet-altan-ilker-basbug-un-actigi-hakaret-davasindan-beraat-etti,818520
https://www.evrensel.net/haber/378217/ahmet-altan-hakaret-suclamasindan-beraat-etti
Categories: Criminal Charges / Fines / Sentences
Source of violation: Court / Judicial
İlave TV reporter to stand trial for “insulting Erdoğan”
26 April 2019 – Arif Kocabıyık, a reporter for the online broadcaster İlave TV, will be standing trial on the charge of “insulting a public official” over a social media post he shared during the time when Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was Turkey’s Prime Minister. The trial was launched over his comment in which he said “crocodile tears” under a picture of Erdoğan.
Kocabıyık told BirGün daily that the initial allegation in the investigation was “insulting the president” although Erdoğan was prime minister at the time. He said the allegation was later changed to “insulting a public official.”
Kocabıyık’s trial will begin on 26 September 2019.
Link(s):
https://www.birgun.net/haber-detay/ilave-tv-muhabirine-erdogana-hakaretten-sorusturma.html
http://www.diken.com.tr/erdogana-hakarette-bugun-timsah-gozyaslari-yorumuna-dava/
https://www.abcgazetesi.com/bir-erdogana-hakaret-davasi-da-ilave-tv-muhabirine-11580
Categories: Criminal Charges / Fines / Sentences
Source of violation: Court / Judicial
UPDATE: Former Cumhuriyet staff members sent back to prison
25 April 2019 – Six former staff members of the Cumhuriyet daily returned to prison on to serve the remainder of the sentences they were given last year in the lengthy “Cumhuriyet trial.”
The 27th High Criminal Court of Istanbul had convicted former columnists and executives of the newspaper on the charge of “aiding a terrorist organization without being its member” last year at the end of the trial. In February 2019, the 3rd Criminal Chamber of the Istanbul Regional Court of Justice rejected the appeals against the verdict, thus finalizing the proceedings against eight of the defendants with sentences under 5 years in prison. Cases of defendants with sentences over 5 years in prison will be further reviewed by the Supreme Court of Appeals.
The trial court issued an order for the execution of the eight sentences on Thursday, issuing arrest warrants for Güray Öz, Önder Çelik, Musa Kart, Hakan Kara, Mustafa Kemal Güngör, Bülent Utku and Emre İper. The prosecution issued a summons for Kadri Gürsel. Öz, Çelik, Kart, Kara, Güngör and İper reported to the Kocaeli Courthouse on Thursday afternoon, from where they were sent to the Kandıra Prison.
Link(s):
https://medyascope.tv/2019/04/25/cumhuriyet-gazetesinin-eski-calisanlari-yeniden-cezaevinde/
https://www.evrensel.net/haber/378169/eski-cumhuriyet-calisanlari-yeniden-cezaevine-girdi
https://www.dw.com/tr/cumhuriyet-%C3%A7al%C4%B1%C5%9Fanlar%C4%B1-yeniden-cezaevinde-ho%C5%9F%C3%A7akal%C4%B1n/a-48490879
Categories: Criminal Charges / Fines / Sentences
Source of violation: Court / Judicial
Journalist Erk Acarer faces investigation: report
25 April 2019 – A newspaper report claimed that an investigation was under way against journalist Erk Acarer, who works for daily Birgün and private broadcaster Artı TV. Acarer is allegedly accused of “inciting the public to hatred and animosity” on social media.
The Sabah daily, owned by Serhat Albayrak – the brother of Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak – reported that police drafted a criminal complaint concerning Acarer’s social media accounts after a tip-off. The complaint was sent to the prosecutor’s office, who decided to launch an investigation into Acarer, the report claimed.
Link(s):
https://www.sabah.com.tr/gundem/2019/04/25/birgun-yazarina-sorusturma
https://www.evrensel.net/haber/378129/sabah-birgun-yazari-erk-acarere-sorusturma-baslatildigini-iddia-etti
https://gazetekarinca.com/2019/04/gazeteci-erk-acarer-hakkinda-sorusturma-baslatildi/
Categories: Criminal Charges / Fines / Sentences
Source of violation: Court / Judicial
UPDATE: Cem Şimşek’s trial adjourned until September
25 April 2019 – A trial in which Cem Şimşek, the former responsible managing editor of the Evrensel daily, stands accused of “defaming” and “insulting” Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak resumed in Istanbul.
Şimşek and his lawyers were in attendance at the third hearing in the case, overseen by the Bakırköy 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance. The accusations stem from a news story published in Evrensel on 14 July 2018.
Addressing the court for his defense statement, Şimşek said that the newspaper ran a proper rebuttal as requested by the plaintiff, daily Evrensel reported. He added that the news article consisted of remarks by an expert in economics and did not include any insulting expressions. Şimşek asked the court to consider the new article a part of the public’s right to information and requested to be acquitted.
The court adjourned the trial until 12 September, granting additional time to Şimşek’s lawyers to produce a hard copy of the newspaper in which the said rebuttal was published.
Link(s):
https://www.evrensel.net/haber/378139/gazeteci-cem-simsek-albayraka-hakaret-iddiasina-yanit-verdi
Categories: Criminal Charges / Fines / Sentences
Source of violation: Government / State Agency / Public official(s) / Political party
UPDATE: Çiğdem Toker faces lawsuit filed by Turkey’s postal services
25 April 2019 – A lawsuit filed against economy journalist Çiğdem Toker by Turkey’s postal service PTT resumed in an Ankara court, RSF Turkey reported. The PTT is seeking TL 50,000 in non-pecuniary damages in the lawsuit, based on a column Toker wrote in April 2018 for the Cumhuriyet daily.
The Ankara 20th Civil Court of First Instance adjourned the trial until 11 June 2019.
Link(s):
https://twitter.com/RSF_tr/status/1121376221697327104
Categories: Subpoena / Court Order / Lawsuits
Source of violation: Corporation / Company
UPDATE: Court keeps journalist İsminaz Temel’s travel ban in place
24 April 2019 – A trial where 23 defendants, including Etkin news agency (ETHA) editor İsminaz Temel and reporter Havva Cuştan, face terrorism-related charges resumed in an Istanbul court.
Journalists Temel and Cuştan and several of their co-defendants as well as defense lawyers were in attendance, P24 reported. Cuştan had remained in pre-trial detention for nine months and Temel for 16 months as part of the case before being released by the court.
Issuing an interim ruling at the end of the hearing, the 27th High Criminal Court of Istanbul ruled to release Coşkun Yiğit and Erkan Kakça from pre-trial detention. With the decision, none of the 23 defendant remain in pre-trial jail. The court, however, rejected the requests to lift the judicial control measures imposed on Temel and her co-defendants, adjourning the trial until 3 September 2019.
Link(s):
https://twitter.com/P24DavaTakip/status/1120947761933889536
https://www.evrensel.net/haber/378072/espli-erkan-kakca-ve-coskun-yigit-tahliye-edildi
https://mezopotamyaajansi17.com/tum-haberler/content/view/55354
Categories: Criminal Charges / Fines / Sentences
Source of violation: Court / Judicial
UPDATE: Prosecutor seeks conviction for eight defendants in “Sözcü trial”
18 April 2019 – The seventh hearing in the “Sözcü trial,” where a total of nine columnists, executives and editors of the newspaper stand took place at the 37th High Criminal Court of Istanbul. In the indictment prepared by the prosecutor the defendants are accused of “aiding a terrorist organization without being its member.”
The judges announced that the prosecution submitted their final opinion of the case on 17 April, only a day before the hearing, P24 reported. According to the document the prosecutor is seeking up to 10 years in prison for Emin Çölaşan, Necati Doğru, Gökmen Ulu, Metin Yılmaz, Mustafa Çetin, Yücel Arı and Yonca Yücekaleli for “knowingly and willingly aiding the ‘FETÖ/PDY’ without being part of its hierarchical structure.” FETÖ/PDY stands for “Fethullahist Terrorist Organization/Parallel State Structure,” the name given by the Turkish government to the religious Fethullah Gülen network.
The prosecution asked the court to apply “effective remorse” provisions in the sentence they sought for Mediha Olgun. The prosecutor lastly requested the court to separate the file against Burak Akbay, the former publisher of Sözcü who is currently overseas and sought for with an arrest warrant, on the grounds that he had yet to make his defense statement.
In its interim decision, the court rejected the defense lawyers’ requests for further investigation; ruled to keep the arrest warrant for Akbay in place; and adjourned the trial until 14 June.
Link(s):
https://twitter.com/P24DavaTakip/status/1118767339707740160
https://www.sozcu.com.tr/2019/gundem/gazetecilik-yargilaniyor-4469408/
http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/gundem/sozcu-gazetesi-davasinda-savci-mutalaasini-verdi-41186629
Categories: Criminal Charges / Fines / Sentences
Source of violation: Court / Judicial
UPDATE: Journalist Kibriye Evren ordered to remain behind bars
16 April 2019 – The trial into jailed journalist Kibriye Evren on terrorism-related charges resumed in a Diyarbakır court, online news website Gazete Karınca reported.
This was the fourth hearing in the case, overseen by the 5th High Criminal Court of Diyarbakır. Evren, who is jailed in the Diyarbakır Prison and has been in a hunger strike for 122 days, did not attend the hearing.
In its interim ruling at the end of the hearing, the court ordered the continuation of Evren’s pre-trial detention and adjourned her trial until 7 May.
Link(s):
https://gazetekarinca.com/2019/04/aclik-grevindeki-gazeteci-kibriye-evrene-tahliye-yok/
https://www.gazeteduvar.com.tr/gundem/2019/04/16/122-gundur-aclik-grevinde-olan-gazeteci-evren-tahliye-edilmedi/
https://www.gercekgundem.com/medya/86270/gazeteci-kibriye-evren-tahliye-edilmedi
Categories: Criminal Charges / Fines / Sentences
Source of violation: Court / Judicial
UPDATE: “Redhack trial” into 6 journalists adjourned until September
16 April 2019 – The “RedHack trial,” where six journalists stand accused of “disseminating propaganda for a terrorist organization,” “hindrance or destruction of a data processing system,” “aiding a terrorist organization without being its member” and “terrorist group membership” for their coverage concerning the emails of Minister Berat Albayrak leaked by RedHack, resumed at an Istanbul court.
Journalists Derya Okatan, Tunca Öğreten, Mahir Kanaat, Eray Sargın, Metin Yoksu and Ömer Çelik stand accused in the case, overseen by the 29th High Criminal Court of Istanbul, P24 reported.
The presiding judge announced during the hearing that a case file relating to an investigation launched against Çelik in 2015 by the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has been merged with the present case and a new indictment has been issued. In the new indictment, Çelik is accused of “disseminating propaganda for a terrorist group” for his social media posts in 2015.
In its interim ruling, the court accepted Yoksu and Okatan’s requests to be held exempt from appearing in court, but rejected the same request from Ömer Çelik on the grounds that he had yet to make his defense statement in relation to the new case file. The court set 24 September as the date for the next hearing.
Link(s):
https://twitter.com/P24DavaTakip/status/1118042549845934081
https://t24.com.tr/haber/red-hack-davasinda-yedinci-durusma-gazetecilik-faaliyetlerimden-dolayi-yargilaniyorum,817099
https://gazetekarinca.com/2019/04/davanin-hukuki-temeli-cokmustur-redhack-davasinda-bilirkisi-raporu-mahkemeye-ulasti/
Categories: Criminal Charges / Fines / Sentences
Source of violation: Court / Judicial
UPDATE: Prosecutor seeks sentence for P24 founding President Hasan Cemal
16 April 2019 – P24’s Founding President and T24 columnist Hasan Cemal appeared in an Istanbul court for the second hearing of his trial on the charge of “propaganda” for a column he wrote on 4 December 2015.
Submitting his final opinion, the prosecutor requested Cemal to be convicted for the alleged crime of “conducting propaganda for a terrorist organization,” P24 reported.
Accepting the request by Cemal and his lawyer for a continuance to prepare their final defense statement, the 36th High Criminal Court of Istanbul adjourned the trial until 7 May.
Link(s):
https://twitter.com/P24DavaTakip/status/1118029850034438144
https://t24.com.tr/haber/hasan-cemal-hakkinda-acilan-dava-ertelendi,817017
https://www.dw.com/tr/gazeteci-hasan-cemal-hakk%C4%B1nda-hapis-talebi/a-48348929
Categories: Criminal Charges / Fines / Sentences
Source of violation: Court / Judicial
UPDATE: Journalist Gökhan Öner given 10-month sentence on “propaganda” charge
15 April 2019 – The final hearing of a trial where journalist Gökhan Öner, a former reporter for the shuttered Dicle news agency (DİHA), was accused of terrorism related charges, took place in the western Anatolian town of Denizli.
The prosecutor submitted their final opinion of the case during the hearing, in which they requested Öner to be acquitted of the “terrorist group membership” charge due to insufficient evidence, but asked the 2nd High Criminal Court of Denizli to convict the journalist of the “propaganda” charge on account of his reporting for DİHA.
Issuing its verdict at the end of the hearing, the 2nd High Criminal Court of Denizli acquitted Öner of the “membership” charge but found him guilty of “propagandası” and sentenced him to 10 months in prison, Mezopotamya Agency reported. The court deferred Öner’s sentence by five years.
Link(s):
http://mezopotamyaajansi16.com/tum-haberler/content/view/54381?page=5
https://gazetekarinca.com/2019/04/gazeteci-gokhan-onere-10-ay-hapis-cezasi/
https://www.evrensel.net/haber/377527/gazeteci-gokhan-onere-10-ay-hapis
Categories: Criminal Charges / Fines / Sentences
Source of violation: Court / Judicial
UPDATE: Özgür Gündem solidarity trial adjourned
15 April 2019 – The 10th hearing in a trial where Professor Şebnem Korur Fincancı, the president of the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV), Erol Önderoğlu, the Turkey representative of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), and journalist-writer Ahmet Nesin stand accused of “spreading propaganda for a terrorist organization,” “incitement to commit crime” and “praising crime and criminals” for joining in the “substitute editor-in-chief” campaign for the shuttered Özgür Gündem newspaper was held.
Erol Önderoğlu made his defense statement in response to the prosecutor’s final opinion during the hearing, P24 reported.
In their interim ruling at the end of the hearing, the 13th High Criminal Court of Istanbul granted additional time for the preparation of the remaining defense statements; accepted Önderoğlu’s request to be held exempt from appearing in court, and adjourned the trial until 17 July.
Link(s):
https://expressioninterrupted.com/ozgur-gundem-solidarity-trial-adjourned/
https://twitter.com/P24DavaTakip/status/1117678855379214336
https://bianet.org/english/freedom-of-expression/207477-onderoglu-we-give-2-5-years-of-our-lives-to-an-indictment-prepared-in-one-day
Categories: Criminal Charges / Fines / Sentences
Source of violation: Court / Judicial
Columnist fired after calling Minister of Finance to resign
11 April 2019 – Hüsamettin Aslan, a columnist for the conservative Milat daily, was dismissed after calling the Minister of Treasury and Finance, Berat Albayrak, to resign. Albayrak, who took over all functions previously performed by two separate ministers in the new cabinet announced on July 2018, is also President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s son-in-law.
“Milat has decided to stop publishing my columns after the comment I made on social media arguing that ‘Berat Albayrak should resign,’” Aslan said according to online platform against censorship Susma’s report. “The criticism against this intra-family reorganization, vocally denounced inside the AKP’s [Justice and Development Party] base, has spread to the streets. As Turkey is giving a struggle for survival, criticizing this nonsense in a polite manner and explaining it with a constructive disapproval was necessary,” he said.
Link(s):
http://susma24.com/milatta-iktidari-elestiren-aslanin-yazilarina-son/
https://t24.com.tr/haber/berat-albayrak-istifa-etmeli-diyen-yazar-kovuldu,816507
https://www.yenicaggazetesi.com.tr/albayraka-istifa-et-dedi-gazeteden-kovuldu-230275h.htm
Categories: Other Serious Issues (Dismissal)
Source of violation: Employer / Publisher / Colleague(s)
UPDATE: Austrian journalist Max Zirngast appears in first courtroom hearing
11 April 2019 – The first courtroom hearing in the trial of Austrian journalist and academic researcher Max Zirngast took place in Ankara.
Zirngast, who was arrested in the Turkish capital in September 2018, remained in detention on remand for three months before being released pending trial in late December. The 26th High Criminal Court of Ankara, which is overseeing the trial, had imposed on Zirngast and his co-defendants an international travel ban.
Zirngast and his co-defendants Mithatcan Türetken, Hatice Göz and Burçin Tekdemir are accused of “membership in a terrorist group” on the allegation that they are linked with the organization “TKP/Kıvılcım,” a fraction that broke off from the Communist Party.
All four defendants and their lawyers were in attendance at the first hearing, DW reported. Addressing the court for their defense statements, the defendants rejected the accusations.
Issuing an interim decision at the end of the hearing, the court ruled for the continuation of the international travel ban imposed on the defendants and adjourned the trial until 11 September.
Link(s):
https://www.dw.com/cda/tr/zirngast%C4%B1n-yurtd%C4%B1%C5%9F%C4%B1na-%C3%A7%C4%B1k%C4%B1%C5%9F-yasa%C4%9F%C4%B1-devam-edecek/a-48282679
https://www.gercekgundem.com/medya/85208/avusturyali-gazeteci-zirngastin-davasi-basladi
https://www.jungewelt.de/artikel/352764.t%C3%BCrkei-prozess-gegen-max-zirngast-beginnt.html
Categories: Criminal Charges / Fines / Sentences
Source of violation: Court / Judicial
UPDATE: Deniz Yücel’s trial adjourned until July
11 April 2019 – The trial of Turkish-German journalist Deniz Yücel, the former Turkey correspondent of the German newspaper Die Welt, resumed on 11 April in Istanbul. Yücel is charged with “disseminating propaganda for FETÖ/PDY and PKK/KCK” and “inciting the public to hatred and animosity.”
Yücel was represented by his lawyer Veysel Ok during the third hearing in the case, overseen by the 32nd High Criminal Court of Istanbul. Ok told the court that Yücel was scheduled to make his defense statement on 10 May in Berlin and requested a continuance until after Yücel’s statement is heard, P24 reported. Accepting the lawyer’s request, the court adjourned the trial until 16 July.
Link(s):
https://twitter.com/P24DavaTakip/status/1116255166968233990
https://bianet.org/english/law/207375-journalist-deniz-yucel-to-testify-in-berlin-in-may
https://www.dw.com/tr/deniz-y%C3%BCcel-davas%C4%B1-11-nisana-ertelendi/a-46815700
Categories: Criminal Charges / Fines / Sentences
Source of violation: Court / Judicial
UPDATE: Local journalists, politician acquitted in “incitement” case
10 April 2019 – A trial where journalists from two local newspapers in the Aegean town of Didim stood accused of “inciting the public to hatred and animosity” for publishing a press statement by local representatives from Turkey’s Labour Party (EMEP) resumed.
Mustafa Öge, the owner of the newspaper Didim Özgürses, Ergün Korkmaz, who owns the newspaper Mavi Didim, Erdem Özden, a reporter for the latter, along with the district chair of EMEP, Kazım Temiz, were all acquitted at the end of the fourth hearing. The case was overseen by the 1st Criminal Court of First Instance of Didim.
The trial was launched over the publication of a statement by EMEP on Turkey’s military operation on the Syrian city of Afrin on January 2018.
Link(s):
https://www.evrensel.net/haber/377248/emep-aciklamasini-yayimladiklari-icin-yargilanan-gazetecilere-beraat
https://tihv.org.tr/11-nisan-2019-gunluk-insan-haklari-raporu/
http://www.dusun-think.net/dosya/bulten/19041215-19-haftalik-du776s807u776nce-o776zgu776rlu776g774u776-bu776lteni.pdf
Categories: Criminal Charges / Fines / Sentences
Source of violation: Court / Judicial
UPDATE: Court rules for publisher’s release in Özgür Gündem trial
10 April 2019 – The “Özgür Gündem main trial,” where nine defendants stand accused of “disrupting the unity and integrity of the state” and “membership in a terrorist organization,” resumed on at the Istanbul courthouse.
This was the 12th hearing in the case, which is overseen by the 23rd High Criminal Court of Istanbul. Keskin and the newspaper’s jailed publisher Sancılı were in attendance, P24 reported. Sancılı was brought from the a prison in the city of Edirne, where he is currently serving a previous sentence.
Issuing an interim decision at the end of the hearing, the court ruled for Sancılı’s release. However, Sancılı will remain in prison because of a previous sentence. The court also ruled to hand over the case file to the prosecution for the drafting of their final opinion and adjourned the trial until 3 July.
Link(s):
https://twitter.com/P24DavaTakip/status/1115857405387186179
https://gazetekarinca.com/2019/04/ozgur-gundemin-imtiyaz-sahibi-kemal-sancili-hakkinda-tahliye-karari/
https://t24.com.tr/haber/kapatilan-ozgur-gundem-in-imtiyaz-sahibi-kemal-sancili-hakkinda-tahliye-karar,816216
Categories: Criminal Charges / Fines / Sentences
Source of violation: Court / Judicial
UPDATE: Two Özgürlükçü Demokrasi editors released
10 April 2019 – The fourth hearing in the trial into 14 employees of the shuttered daily Özgürlükçü Demokrasi on terrorism-related charges took place at the Istanbul courthouse.
The pro-Kurdish newspaper’s publisher İhsan Yaşar, responsible managing editor İshak Yasul, editors Mehmet Ali Çelebi and Hicran Urun were in attendance as well as unjailed defendants Pınar Tarlak and Ramazan Sola. The newspaper’s editor Reyhan Hacıoğlu, who has also been jailed pending trial since April 2018, did not attend, P24 reported.
The prosecutor submitted his final opinion of the case during the hearing, asking the court to convict Urun, Çelebi, Tarlak, Yasul, Yaşar and Hacıoğlu of “membership in an armed terrorist organization,” “successively publishing terrorist group publications” and “disseminating propaganda for a terrorist organization.” The prosecutor requested that Ramazan Sola and Mizgin Fendik be convicted of “aiding a terrorist organization without being its member.”
The prosecution requested the continuation of the detention of all jailed defendants.
Issuing an interim decision at the end of the hearing, the 23rd High Criminal Court of Istanbul ruled to release Yasul and Urun pending the conclusion of the trial and set 28 June as the date for the next hearing in the case.
Link(s):
https://twitter.com/P24DavaTakip/status/1115927899637469184
https://gazetekarinca.com/2019/04/ozgurlukcu-demokrasi-davasinda-iki-tahliye-karari/
https://bianet.org/bianet/ifade-ozgurlugu/207337-gazeteciler-ishak-yasul-ve-hicran-urun-tahliye-edildi
Categories: Criminal Charges / Fines / Sentences
Source of violation: Court / Judicial
Jailed publisher Mehmet Ali Genç acquitted in “propaganda” case
9 April 2019 – Mehmet Ali Genç, the publisher and former managing editor of Varyos Publications, appeared in an Istanbul court for the fourth hearing of his trial on the charges of “disseminating propaganda for a terrorist group” and “praising crime or a criminal.” The charges stemmed from an article Genç had penned for the women’s magazine Sosyalist Kadın.
Genç was brought to the Istanbul Courthouse for the 9 April hearing, overseen by the 23rd High Criminal Court of Istanbul. He was accompanied by his lawyer Kader Tonç.
Genç is currently imprisoned in Adana, serving three separate convictions from previous trials where the accusations stemmed from his time as the responsible managing editor of the leftist Atılım newspaper, his lawyer told P24.
Rendering its verdict at the end of the hearing, the court ruled to drop the “propaganda” charge against Genç based on the statute of limitations in Turkey’s press law, and acquitted Genç of the “praising crime or a criminal” charge.
Link(s):
http://www.etha6.com/Haberler/mehmet-ali-genc-hakkinda-beraat-karari/9/11593
https://tihv.org.tr/10-nisan-2019-gunluk-insan-haklari-raporu/
Categories: Criminal Charges / Fines / Sentences
Source of violation: Court / Judicial
Detained journalist Oktay Candemir released on bail
7 April 2019 – Journalist Oktay Candemir, who was arrested during a police raid on his apartment in the eastern province of Van, was released from custody on 7 April. Candemir, who was brought to the Van courthouse following his interrogation at the local police department, was referred to a court by a prosecutor who requested the journalist to be jailed pending trial on the charge of “terrorist group membership.” Candemir was released by the court under judicial control measures.
Link(s):
http://mezopotamyaajansi16.com/tum-haberler/content/view/53544?page=3
https://gazetekarinca.com/2019/04/gazeteci-oktay-candemir-serbest-birakildi/
https://www.artigercek.com/haberler/gazeteci-oktay-candemir-serbest-birakildi
Categories: Criminal Charges / Fines / Sentences
Source of violation: Court / Judicial
UPDATE: Diyarbakır-based journalist Sertaç Kayar’s trial adjourned until June
5 April 2019 – A trial in which freelance journalist Sertaç Kayar faces up to 22 years in prison on the charge of “establishing and leading a terrorist organization” resumed at the 10th High Criminal Court of Diyarbakır.
Issuing an interim ruling at the end of the hearing, the court adjourned the trial until 26 June, P24 reported. The court said it would await the testimony of a witness mentioned in the case file, which will be heard by a High Criminal Court in the central Anatolian province of Çorum.
This was the third hearing in the case, where Kayar is accused based on his coverage of demonstrations and public statements in Diyarbakır.
Link(s):
https://twitter.com/P24DavaTakip/status/1114057233548107776
Categories: Criminal Charges / Fines / Sentences
Source of violation: Court / Judicial
UPDATE: Editor Haydar Ergül released after 15 months in pre-trial detention
5 April 2019 – A trial in which Haydar Ergül, an editor with the periodical Demokratik Modernite is among 19 defendants, resumed in Istanbul.
Ergül, who had been in detention on remand since January 2018, is charged with “membership in a terrorist group” in the case overseen by the 22nd High Criminal Court of Istanbul. Among Ergül’s co-defendants in the case are members and administrators of People’s Democratic Party (HDP) and the Democratic Regions Party (DBP).
Issuing an interim ruling at the end of the hearing, the court ruled for Ergül’s release pending the conclusion of the trial, P24 reported. Judicial control measures were imposed on Ergül in the form of an international travel ban and reporting to the nearest police station once a month to give his signature. The court set 28 June as the date for the next hearing.
Link(s):
https://twitter.com/P24DavaTakip/status/1114148084219564032
https://gazetekarinca.com/2019/04/15-aydir-tutukluydu-gazeteci-haydar-ergul-tahliye-edildi/
http://mezopotamyaajansi16.com/tum-haberler/content/view/53381
Categories: Criminal Charges / Fines / Sentences
Source of violation: Court / Judicial
UPDATE: Alican Uludağ and Duygu Güvenç’s trial adjourned
4 April 2019 – The second hearing of a trial where journalists Alican Uludağ and Duygu Güvenç stand accused of “publicly degrading the judiciary” took place at the 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance of Istanbul.
Uludağ and Güvenç are accused on account of their reporting in the Cumhuriyet newspaper on the developments surrounding US pastor Andrew Brunson, who remained in detention in Turkey for two years before being released in October.
The trial was adjourned until 20 June because the judge was on leave, P24 reported.
Link(s):
https://twitter.com/P24DavaTakip/status/1113695298084380673
Categories: Criminal Charges / Fines / Sentences
Source of violation: Court / Judicial
UPDATE: Libel case against Çiğdem Toker to continue in July
4 April 2019 – Çiğdem Toker, a prominent economy columnist for the Sözcü daily, appeared before an Ankara court on 4 April for the second hearing of a lawsuit filed by a Turkish mining company. The company, Şenbay Madencilik, is seeking a record TL 1.5 million in compensation for a column Toker penned for the Cumhuriyet daily in October 2017.
Toker and her lawyer were in attendance for the hearing at the 13th Civil Court of First Instance of Ankara. In their interim ruling, the court decided to request from the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure the official records of the tender Toker wrote about in her column, online news website T24 reported, and adjourned the lawsuit until 9 July.
Link(s):
https://t24.com.tr/haber/cigdem-toker-e-acilan-1-5-milyon-liralik-tazminat-davasi-basladi,815356
https://www.evrensel.net/haber/376920/gazeteci-cigdem-tokerin-davasi-9-temmuza-ertelendi
https://www.gercekgundem.com/medya/83431/cigdem-tokere-acilan-tazminat-davasinda-yeni-gelisme
Categories: Subpoena / Court Order / Lawsuits
Source of violation: Corporation / Company
UPDATE: Journalist Ayşegül Doğan’s trial adjourned until September
3 April 2019 – The trial of journalist Ayşegül Doğan, a former program coordinator for the shuttered television station İMC TV, who is charged with “establishing or leading an armed organization,” resumed at the 9th High Criminal Court of Diyarbakır, online news website Gazete Karınca reported.
This was the second hearing in the case, where Doğan’s interviews as a journalist with DTK administrators are held as evidence against her. The court adjourned the trial until 11 September, awaiting a comparative forensic examination of audio recordings in the case file and a sample of Doğan’s voice.
Link(s):
http://gazetekarinca.com/2019/04/gazeteci-aysegul-doganin-davasi-ertelendi/
https://www.evrensel.net/haber/376881/gazeteci-aysegul-doganin-ses-kayit-ornekleri-alinacak
https://jinnews.com.tr/TUM-HABERLER/content/view/106937
Categories: Criminal Charges / Fines / Sentences
Source of violation: Court / Judicial
UPDATE: Evrensel columnist Karataş’s trial adjourned until September
3 April 2019 – Yusuf Karataş, a columnist for Evrensel daily, appeared in a Diyarbakır court for the fifth hearing of his trial on the charge of “establishing and leading a terrorist group.”
Karataş faces up to 22.5 years in prison in the trial, one of many similar criminal cases where the accusations stem from audio recordings of speeches delivered by participants during Democratic Society Congress (DTK) rallies. Karataş was arrested and jailed pending trial in July 2017 as part of an investigation into DTK. He was released pending trial in September 2017.
Karataş requested the court to lift his international travel ban because it prevented him from attending international events he is invited as a politician and a columnist.
In its interim ruling, the 9th High Criminal Court of Diyarbakır rejected Karataş’s request and adjourned the trial until 11 September, awaiting the completion of the forensic examination of audio tapes by the Council of Forensic Medicine in Istanbul.
Link(s):
https://twitter.com/P24DavaTakip/status/1113326549107912704
https://www.evrensel.net/haber/376866/yazarimiz-yusuf-karatasin-yurt-disi-yasagi-yine-kaldirilmadi
https://www.gazeteduvar.com.tr/gundem/2019/04/03/yusuf-karatasin-yurtdisi-yasagi-kaldirilmadi/
Categories: Criminal Charges / Fines / Sentences
Source of violation: Court / Judicial
Mezopotamya Agency reporter Ahmet Kanbal briefly detained
3 April 2019 – Mezopotamya news agency reporter Ahmet Kanbal was taken into custody in the Nusaybin district of Mardin province while covering a news story, the agency reported.
Kanbal was reportedly arrested because he had failed to show up to give his defense statement as part of a court case. Kanbal was released later in the day by the Nusaybin 1st Criminal Court of First Instance after giving his statement.
Link(s):
http://mezopotamyaajansi17.com/tum-haberler/content/view/53013
https://twitter.com/dokuz8haber/status/1113363004714676224
https://www.evrensel.net/haber/376862/gozaltina-alinan-ma-muhabiri-ahmet-kanbal-serbest-birakildi
Categories: Criminal Charges / Fines / Sentences
Source of violation: Court / Judicial
Nine journalists sentenced for solidarity with Özgür Gündem
3 April 2019 – The court announced its verdict at the end of the 11th hearing in the trial of 13 defendants accused of “conducting propaganda for a terrorist organization” for participating in the “substitute editor-in-chief” campaign to show solidarity with the pro-Kurdish Özgür Gündem newspaper, which was closed down in 2016.
The final hearing of the trial took place on 3 April at the 14th High Criminal Court of Istanbul.
The court convicted journalists Hüseyin Aykol, Faruk Eren, Ertuğrul Mavioğlu, Fehim Işık, Celal Başlangıç, Öncü Akgül, İhsan Çaralan, Celalettin Can and Dilşah Kocakaya of the “propaganda” charge and sentenced them to a total of 14 years and 3 months in prison, P24 reported. The court deferred the sentences of six defendants while Akyol, Can and Kocakaya’s sentences were not deferred.
Following the completion of the defense statements, the court went on to issue its verdict in which it found nine defendants guilty of the “propaganda” charge.
The newspaper’s former co-editor-in-chief Hüseyin Akyol was sentenced to 3 years and 9 months in prison for “successively disseminating propaganda for a terrorist organization.” Aykol’s co-defendants Faruk Eren, Ertuğrul Mavioğlu, Fehim Işık, Celal Başlangıç, Öncü Akgül, İhsan Çaralan and Celalettin Can were each sentenced to a prison term of 1 year and 3 months. All sentences except the one imposed on Celalettin Can were deferred.
The court acquitted Mehmet Şirin Taşdemir, Ömer Ağın, Veysel Kemer and Yüksel Oğuz, who were on trial for the letters they sent to Özgür Gündem from prison, which the newspaper had published. The court also convicted Dilşah Kocakaya of the “propaganda” charge and imposed on Kocakaya a 15-month sentence.
The sentences will be reviewed by an appellate court.
Link(s): https://www.evrensel.net/haber/376875/ozgur-gundem-nobetci-genel-yayin-yonetmenligi-davasinda-ceza-yagdi
https://medyascope.tv/2019/04/03/ozgur-gundem-nobetci-genel-yayin-yonetmenleri-davasinda-gazetecilere-ceza-yagdi/
http://bianet.org/bianet/medya/207080-nobetci-yayin-yonetmenleri-davasinda-9-kisiye-hapis-cezasi
https://twitter.com/P24DavaTakip/status/1113322983588757504
Categories: Criminal Charges / Fines / Sentences
Source of violation: Court / Judicial[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_basic_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”4″ element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1560788183498-bc033ae0-97c7-7″ taxonomies=”8996″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
16 April 2019 – “The Verkhovna Rada adopted a resolution on the risks and threats to national security that come from two TV channels. Before addressing this issue, I commissioned a law enforcement agency that is responsible for national security in Ukraine, the SBU, to urgently check the information of the Verkhovna Rada,” president Petro Poroshenko said regarding the 112-Ukraine TV channel, answering a question regarding his plans to consider a petition in defense of the TV channels 112-Ukraine and NewsOne, which got over 25 thousand signatures. 
Novoye Vremya reports that there is another complaint filed against it