Turkey: Another Attack On The Turkish Free Press— CFWIJ Condemns The Conviction Of Nurcan Kaya
Location: Turkey, Diyarbakir
Date: September 27, 2021Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
The fourth hearing of the trial against lawyer, human rights defender, and Artı Gerçek columnist, Nurcan Kaya, was held today. She was defending charges of making propaganda materia
The court sentenced the journalist to fifteen months in prison and deferred the announcement of the verdict. CFWIJ condemns the conviction of Nurcan Kaya and reiterates that the authorities should respect press freedom and allow journalists to report freely.
Nurcan Kaya was accused of making propaganda for a terrorist organization after she posted a tweet about the Kobane events in 2014. The Media and Law Studies Association, a non-profit that safeguards journalism and free speech, provided Nurcan’s legal defense. The columnist and her lawyer, Veysel Ok, were present at the hearing. Diyarbakir Bar Association President Nahit Eren, Turkish Human Rights Foundation Executive Board Member Barış Yavuz, and several lawyers followed the hearing.
The hearing started one hour later than scheduled. During which, Nurcan Kaya stated that her anti-war tweets should be evaluated within the framework of human rights and freedom of expression. "Standing up for peace is not a crime,” she said. “I will continue to speak for peace instead of war. It is quite clear that I am here today not because of propaganda."
Nurcan’s lawyer, Veysel Ok, stated his client was facing charges because she did not remain silent about the events witnessed in the east of the country. "It must be taken into account that my client is a journalist as well as a lawyer," he defended.
The journalist took to Twitter to thank her lawyers and those who supported her. Nurcan went on to say she would continue to do her job despite the many pressures and policies of intimidation, stating, "Continue where we left off."
As one of the journalists who has long been targeted by legal harassment, Nurcan was also detained in 2019 for a tweet posted. She was detained at the airport when she arrived in Istanbul on October 28, 2019. Despite being released after her interrogation, the authorities instated an international travel ban against her.
CFWIJ condemns the prison sentence against human rights defender, lawyer, and journalist Nurcan Kaya. In September alone, the authorities put at least eight women journalists on trial. Most of these hearings were given a new trial date, with no progress made. We demand an end to the policies aimed at wearing down journalists to silence them.
Bugün duruşmada beni temsil eden avukatlarıma (@MehmetEminAktar @VeyselOkk @av_nahiteren ), dayanışma için gelen avukat arkadaşlarıma,dostlarıma,basın emekçilerine, açıklamalar paylaşarak destek veren tüm hak savunucularına, kurumlara çok teşekkür ederim. Kaldığımız yerden devam. https://t.co/fNmxAQVEi6
— Nurcan Kaya (@nurcan_kaya_) September 27, 2021
The CFWIJ strongly condemns the police brutality against journalists. We demand the immediate return of the press cards seized from the security forces. Policies to intimidate journalists should be abandoned, and journalism should be practiced under the criteria of freedom of the press.
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