Turkey’s critical journalists face 46 aggravated life imprisonments, one life imprisonment and 3 thousand 23 years and 10 months in prison, according to BİA Media Monitoring Report which has covered the freedom of press violations in Turkey between July-September 2018.
According to the report, penned by journalist Erol Önderoğlu, who is also the representative of Journalists Without Borders (RSF) in Turkey, 12 journalists or media representatives were facing life imprisonments aggravated for 35 times in total on the charge of participating in a controversial military coup attempt on July 15, 2016.
The report said that 11 of these journalists have been acquitted of this charge. 10 journalists have been facing one aggravated life imprisonment, one life imprisonment and 454 years in prison on the charge of “espionage” or “acquiring and publishing the confidential documents of the state.” One of the lawsuits ended in acquittal. 10 journalists have also been facing life imprisonment aggravated 10 times in total on the charge of “damaging the unity of the state.”
According to the report, 125 journalists faced 1,912 years in prison in total on charges of “leading a terrorist organization,” “committing crimes in the name of a terrorist organization as a non-member,” “propagandizing for a terrorist organization” or “aiding a terrorist organization,” in this period. While 13 of them have been sentenced to 114 years in prison, lawsuits against 16 journalists were new.
Also, 60 journalists or media workers faced 423 years in prison in total on a charge of “propagandizing for a terrorist organization” or “reporting the statements of a terrorist organization.” While five of these journalists have been sentenced to 15 years in prison in total, the lawsuits filed against 10 of them were new.
While seven journalists faced 10 years and 6 months in prison in total on a charge of “inciting the public to enmity and hatred”, one of them has been sentenced to a suspended prison sentence of 6 months. The court case against one journalist was filed in this period. While it was demanded that six journalists be sentenced to 12 years in prison on a charge of “insulting the state institutions,” three of the journalists have been acquitted and one of them has been sentenced to 6 months in prison.
The investigation, which was launched against one journalist as per the Article no. 301 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), has still been continuing. Moreover, as part of the lawsuits, one of which had recently been filed, six journalists faced 12 years in prison on charge of “praising the crime and the criminal”.
Four journalists have been facing 20 years in prison in total on a charge of “openly provoking to commit a crime.” One of these lawsuits was filed in this three-month period. Two journalists have been facing 6 years in prison on a charge of “violating the confidentiality of the investigation” and one journalist has been facing three years in prison on a charge of “violating the confidentiality of communication.”
One journalist, who faced 3 years in prison, has been sentenced to a suspended prison sentence of 10 months on a charge of “violating the right of privacy,” while 22 media workers faced 66 years in prison in total for “resisting the commissioned officer.”
According to the report, an all of the above charges, 247 journalists faced life imprisonment aggravated for 46 times, one life imprisonment, 2 thousand 855 years in prison and a judicial fine of 30 thousand Turkish Lira in total. These figures regarding defendants and sentences do not include the lawsuits filed against journalists on charges of “insult” and “insulting the President.”
Turkey is ranked 157th among 180 countries in the 2018 World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). If Turkey falls two more places, it will make it to the list of countries on the blacklist, which have the poorest record in press freedom.
Turkey is the biggest jailer of journalists in the world. The most recent figures documented by SCF show that 237 journalists and media workers were in jail as of October 7, 2018, most in pretrial detention. Of those in prison 169 were under arrest pending trial while only 68 journalists have been convicted and are serving their time. Detention warrants are outstanding for 148 journalists who are living in exile or remain at large in Turkey.
Detaining tens of thousands of people over alleged links to the Gülen movement, the government also closed down some 200 media outlets, including Kurdish news agencies and newspapers, after a coup attempt in Turkey on July 15, 2016.
The post Forty-seven life imprisonments sought for critical journalists in Turkey appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.
from Stockholm Center for Freedom https://stockholmcf.org/forty-seven-life-imprisonments-sought-for-critical-journalists-in-turkey/
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