Aramagedon
BANNED
- Joined
- Apr 29, 2015
- Messages
- 8,801
- Reaction score
- -13
- Country
- Location
Erdogan vs press
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is known for being intolerant of critics. During his third term as prime minister, Turkey was the leading jailer of journalists in the world with more than 60behind bars at the height of the crackdown in 2012. Most of those have been released, but the press faces another threat--Article 299 of the penal code, "Insulting the President," which carries a prison term of more than four years if content deemed to be offensive is published in the press.
In the first seven months of Erdoğan's presidency, 236 people were investigated for allegedly insulting the president, with 105 indicted, according to a BBC report that cited Turkey's Justice Ministry statistics. The defendants have included journalists as well as students, civil activists, scholars, artists, even a former Miss Turkey.
When we met in Istanbul in May, media scholar Ceren Sözeri told me that Article 299 has been part of the country's criminal code for a long time--1926 to be exact--but that none of Erdoğan's predecessors had made such ample use of it.
CPJ was given a first-hand glimpse of Erdoğan's sensitivity about criticism in the press when we met him in Ankara last October. "Media should never have been given the liberty to insult," he told us, without clarifying who should have the authority to determine what falls under criticism or insult.
CPJ is aware of at least 20 cases of journalists on trial in Turkey under Article 299 or other laws for allegedly insulting Erdoğan in articles, columns, posts on social media, and even a defense delivered in court.
Can Dündar, is one of those facing charges under Article 299. The chief editor of the center-left daily Cumhuriyet has been on trial since February for allegedly insulting Erdogan in a series of articles about a 2013 scandal that alleged the Turkish government was involved in corruption, according to local press reports. Dündar is charged with defamation and violation of privacy, according to reports. If convicted, he faces up to four and a half years in prison. The next hearing is scheduled for September.
In another Article 299 case, Tolga Tanış, a U.S.-based correspondent for the daily Hürriyet, told the news agency Reuters on June 21 that he was under investigation for insulting the Turkish president in his book POTUS and the Gentleman. The book, which was published in March, explores diplomatic relations between Washington and Ankara, with a focus on President Barack Obama. But, Reuters said, it was Erdoğan's lawyers who filed a complaint against Tanış, alleging that his book eroded the reputation of the Turkish president. (Reuters reported that it had been unable to reach the prosecutor's office or Erdoğan for comment.)
"I am critical of both Erdoğan and Obama on several issues," Tanış told Reuters "Though I don't think that Obama is considering suing me for this book."
Sometimes, even a journalist's defense in court can result in further charges. When I met with Barış İnce, editor-in-chief of the leftist dailyBirGün, in Istanbul in May he was preparing for his defamation trial over an acrostic--in which the first letter of each line spells a phrase. It was included in the defense he submitted to court on October 21, 2014 and then printed in his paper. The print version revealed that the first letter of each line in his defense spelled "Thief Tayyip," a common chant of protesters, according toreports.
The defense--and column--were in response to defamation charges brought by then-Prime Minister Erdoğan over BirGün s 2014 coverage of leaked fileson corruption allegations against Erdogan and his family, Today's Zaman reported.
Those charges resulted in a fine for İnce--but the charges related to the acrostic may result in a prison term because they were filed under Article 299. İnce faces up to five and a half years in prison if convicted, he told me. His next hearing is due to be held in October, according to local reports. "I hope that the world will watch my case closely," İnce told me. "Writing a defense is not a crime. And Turkey has a tradition of using acrostics to convey political criticism."
While their charges were not brought under Article 299, CPJ has documented the cases of two other Turkish journalists convicted recently for insulting Erdoğan on Twitter. Bülent Keneş, editor of the privately owned English-language daily Today's Zaman, was convicted on June 17 ofinsulting Erdoğan in a July 2014 tweet and handed a 21-month suspended prison sentenced. A judge said the sentence would be enforced if Keneş repeated the offense in the next five years,according to reports.
On June 30, Mehmet Baransu, a correspondent for the privately owned daily Taraf, was handed a 10-month jail sentence by an Istanbul court for insulting Erdoğan in a series of tweets, according to reports. The journalist is already in jail while authorities investigate him in two further casesrelated to his work.
Such cases, even when they do not result in imprisonment, take a toll on journalists. Constantly appearing in court and defending the right to report or express an opinion amounts to obstruction of professional activities. "For us [journalists], this is part of the job now," Dündar told the producers of "Personal non Grata," a documentary shown for World Press Freedom Day and available on YouTube. "We have a president that regards every criticism as defamation. ... Effectively, half our lives are wasted in courtrooms."
Nina Ognianova is coordinator of CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia Program. A native of Bulgaria, Ognianova has carried out numerous fact-finding and advocacy missions across the region. Her commentaries on press freedom have appeared in the Guardian, the International Herald Tribune, the Huffington Post, and the EU Observer, among others. Follow her on Twitter @Kremlinologist1
Erdoğan vs the press: Insult law used to silence president's critics - Committee to Protect Journalists
Eighteen Turkish journalists face jail terms on terrorism allegations
Istanbul, August 6, 2015--Eighteen editors from nine outlets in Turkey have been accused of terrorism in connection with publishing a photograph,according to Turkish and international news reports.
"Once again, Turkish authorities are conflating genuine news reporting with terrorism," said CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Nina Ognianova from New York. "Freedom of the press entails journalists' ability to cover any sensitive issue or story without fear of reprisal. We call on Turkish authorities to stop legally harassing the journalists and drop all allegations against them."
Istanbul's Chief Prosecutor's Office filed an indictmentwith the 1st Court of Serious Crimes, accusingthe journalistsof "disseminating terrorist propaganda," Turkish and international press reported. According to The Associated Press, the court has not yet decided whether to accept the indictment. The journalists, who denied the allegations, are not in state custody. If convicted, they face up to 7.5 years in jail, reports said.
Al-Jazeera reported that the editors named in the indictment include Kaan Özbek and Orhan Duman, from the daily Şok; Sedat Gülmez and Cuma Ulus, from the daily Milliyet; Seçil Şengelir Güler and Mehmet Emin Öztürk, from the dailyPosta; Başak Günseven and Orhan Şahin, from the daily Yurt; Gökhan Çorbacı and Temel Tanadalan, from the daily Bugün; Abbas Yalçın and Can Dündar, from the daily Cumhuriyet; Reyhan Çapan and Emine Eren Keskin, from the daily Özgür Gündem; Murat Şimşek and Mehmet Sabuncu, from the daily Aydınlık; and Berkant Gültekin and İbrahim Aydın, from the dailyBirgün.
The allegations stem from a photograph published by the news outlets that showed a masked militant from the outlawed leftist group Revolutionary People's Salvation Party/Front, or DHKP/C, holding a gun to the head of local prosecutor Mehmet Selim Kiraz, according to news reports. The prosecutor was taken hostage by the militants at an Istanbul courthouse in March and died following a shootout, according to news reports.
The DHKP/C has been classified as a terrorist organization in Turkey. Following the shootout, the group released the photo on social media and it was then circulated widely online, according to reports.
The news outlets named in the indictmentpublished the photo without blurring Selim Kiraz's face.Authorities said publishing the photo without "blurring or darkening it in any way" was considered "propaganda of a terrorist organization via the press," according to the indictment which was signed by Prosecutor Umut Tepe of the Istanbul's Chief Prosecutor's Office and was reviewed by CPJ.
One of the editors, Dündar of the dailyCumhuriyet, was cited by the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle as saying that he was not endorsing DHKP/C but had chosen to publish the image only "to demonstrate the ugly face of terrorism." Other journalists also denied supporting militants and said that the image was widely carried by local broadcasters and shared on social networks, reports said.
The move comes amid increased violence in Turkey as the country in July said it was joining the fight against the militant group Islamic State in Syria and northern Iraq. Some critics say that the government is using the opportunity to fightthe Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the DHKP-C, news reports said.
Eighteen Turkish journalists face jail terms on terrorism allegations - Committee to Protect Journalists
High school student faces 4 years, 6 months sentence for insulting Erdogan
A 21-year-old high school student is facing the prospect of up to four-and-a-half years in prison for posts on Twitter that are alleged to have insulted President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan when he was prime minister.
According to the private Doğan news agency, the İzmir Police Department's Cyber Crimes Unit launched an investigation on Feb. 6 of last year against Alp A., who is studying at the Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences at İzmir's Ege University, on charges of posting comments insulting then-Prime Minister Erdoğan. The cybercrimes unit then passed the file to the İzmir Public Prosecutor's Office and Prosecutor Ali Fuat Taşkın opened a criminal case against the university student on the charge of insulting a public official regarding the performance of his duties. The prosecutor is seeking a prison sentence of between 18 months and four-and-a-half years, as per the Turkish Penal Code (TCK).
During his testimony to the police, Alp A. confirmed that the Twitter account belongs to him and that he has been managing the account since 2013. The student expressed regret over the post.
Alp A. is expected to appear before the court in the near future.
Dozens of people, including journalists, high school students, activists and even a former Miss Turkey, have been prosecuted for insulting Erdoğan on social media.
University student faces 4 years, 6 months sentence for insulting Erdoğan
Turkish journalist faces 23 years in prison for insulting government officials
Istanbul, June 26, 2015--The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the insult charges filed against a Turkish reporter and calls on Turkish authorities to drop them immediately. The charges against Canan Coşkun, a reporter for the daily newspaper Cumhuriyet, were first reported by the Turkish media on Wednesday.
The charges stem from an article Coşkun wrote on February 19 about official corruption, according to local news reports. The article, called "Controversial real estate purchases by the judiciary," alleged that Istanbul judges and prosecutors had benefited from significant discounts when buying luxury real estate.
Istanbul prosecutor Umut Tepe prepared an indictment against Coşkun for "insulting civil servants over their professional duties," according to news reports. Coşkun's lawyer, Bülent Utku, told CPJ that if convicted the journalist faces up to 23 years and four months in prison, as cumulative punishment for insultingthe prosecutors and judges named in the article.
Utku said that prosecutors began a criminal investigation into Coşkun on the same day she published her article, but the indictment was issued on Monday. The first hearing of her trial is scheduled for November 12, Utku said.
"We call on Istanbul prosecutor Umut Tepe to immediately drop all charges against Canan Coşkun," CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Nina Ognianova said. "Libel is a civil matter. A criminal defamation prosecution in this case represents an abuse of power, a conflict of interest, and a violation of international norms."
Erdogan threatens Cumhuriyet, editor-in-chief over arms smuggling report
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses a rally on May 26, 2015. (AP/Burhan Ozbilici)
Istanbul, June 1, 2015--The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's legal threats against pro-opposition daily newspaper Cumhuriyet and Can Dündar, its editor-in-chief, whom the president accused of espionage during a live broadcast Sunday night on state-run television.
"We call on Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to stop bullying journalists and news outlets such as Can Dündar and Cumhuriyet just because he doesn't like what they report," CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Nina Ognianova said in New York. "The president's statements have often served as cues for Turkish prosecutors to initiate punitive legal action against the government's critics."
The president said he would file a lawsuit in response to a Cumhuriyet article published on May 29 about allegations that trucks belonging to the National Intelligence Agency (MİT) were used to smuggle arms to rebel groups in Syria, according to news reports. The article, written by Dündar, included images that the paper claimed were part of an official investigation into the smuggling allegations. The article alleged that artillery shells, mortar bombs, and rounds of ammunition for machine guns had been concealed under boxes of medicine, the English-language Hürriyet Daily News said. The government said in January 2014, when security forces stopped the trucks, that the trucks were carrying humanitarian aid, according to local reports.
"The person who wrote this story will pay a heavy price for it; I won't let him go unpunished," Erdoğan said during a regular appearance on the state-run channel TRT Haber, according to the English-language daily Today's Zaman. The president accused Cumhuriyet of espionage,Today's Zaman said.
The Bureau of Terror and Organized Crimes, under the public prosecutor of İstanbul, is investigating Dündar on espionage allegations, the independent news website Bianet reported. The prosecutor's office announced that other media outlets that carry the Cumhuriyet story will be placed under investigation for "obtaining state security documents," "exposing secret information," and "making propaganda for terrorist organization," according to reports. Turkey's vague terrorism and penal laws are frequently used by authorities to punish critical journalists, CPJ research shows.
Last year, Turkish authorities imposed a ban on coverage of allegations that MİT had sent military aid to Syrian rebels in the disguise of humanitarian aid, according to reports. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu told journalists that the contents of the Syria-bound trucks belonging to the MİT was "nobody's business," the pro-government Daily Sabah newspaper reported on May 31.
In an editorial in Cumhuriyet today, Dündar defended the decision to publish the article. "We are not civil servants who are supposed to keep state secrets, but rather journalists," he wrote, according to English-language reports. Dündar added in the editorial that Cumhuriyet will continue to report on the government "in the interests of the state, the people, and the media."
Both as Turkey's prime minister and now as president, Erdoğan has led an anti-press campaign, personally filing defamation lawsuits against journalists, publicly lashing out against critics, and pressuring news organizations to rein in critical staffers. These actions have sown widespread self-censorship as news outlets and their journalists, fearful of financial, professional, or legal reprisals, shy away from sensitive topics, CPJ research shows.
Kurdish musician in Turkey sentenced to 10 years in prison for singing in Kurdish
By UZAY BULUT
Tue, 12 May 2015, 11:16 PM
For decades, Kurds in Turkey have systematically been constrained from speaking their mother tongue or uttering the name of their historic land.
Photo by: REUTERS
If you are planning to visit Turkey soon, keep in mind that singing a Kurdish song, choosing a Kurdish name for your child, or just saying a few Kurdish words is still unacceptable and might even constitute a crime.
Nudem Durak, 24, a musician who sings and teaches Kurdish folk songs at the Mem û Zîn Culture and Art Center in the Kurdish town of Cizre has recently been arrested and sentenced to 10.5 years in prison for “being a member of a terrorist organization.”
“All kinds of activities that Kurds engage in – cultural, linguistic or even personal ones – are used as evidence against them in their court files,” Rojhat Dilsiz, Durak’s lawyer said. “Even the telephone conversations that Durak had with fellow artists were used as evidence against her.”
Durak was first arrested in 2009 and spent about eight months in jail until her first trial, as a result of which she was released pending trial. But after the Supreme Court approved of her punishment, she was arrested again.
Dilsiz said they will now take the case to Turkey’s constitutional court, and if even the constitutional court affirms the decision, then they will take it to the European Court of Human Rights.
For decades, Kurds in Turkey have systematically been constrained from speaking their mother tongue or uttering the name of their historic land and faced censorship, violence or imprisonment when they did so.
In December, 2013, Halil Aksoy, an MP of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), delivered a speech at Turkey’s parliament in which he criticized the Turkish state “for not attaching importance to the Kurdish works of art” and read a Kurdish verse by Sherko Bekas, a well-known Kurdish poet, and its Turkish translation at the end of his speech.
The Turkish version of the poem was directly written to the minutes whereas the Kurdish version was written as “...” (Triple dots). The minutes also referred to the Kurdish verse as “words which are not Turkish.”
