Turkey: CFWIJ Welcomes Roza Metina’s Acquittal From Sham Terrorism Charges
Location: Turkey
Date: October 12, 2021Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
Roza Metina, the Kurdish news editor for JinNews and member of Kurdish PEN, was acquitted of all baseless charges on Tuesday by the Diyarbakir 5th High Criminal Court. The judgement came on the third hearing of the trial based on accusations of being a delegate of the Democratic Society Congress (DTK) and the now shuttered Kurdish Writers Association. Rozaa was also charged with possession of banned books found at her house. The court acquitted Roza stating there is no proof that she did anything wrong being a member of an armed organization. The verdict also ordered the authorities to repeal all judicial control provisions imposed on her.
The Coalition For Women in Journalism welcomes the verdict. Considering the weak grounds on which the case against Roza was framed, charges should have been dropped much sooner. CFWIJ demands an end to legal persecution of journalists. We reiterate journalism is not a crime. Terrorism laws should not be weaponized against journalists. We only hope other journalists embroiled in bogus cases are also acquitted soon.
Roza's lawyer, Temur contended that the prosecution was unable to provide concrete evidence to prove any allegations against his client. No evidence was produced to establish a connection between Roza and an armed organization. He also casted doubt on the prosecution’s case by pointing out inconsistencies between the evidence submitted by the prosecutor's office and the arguments made against Roza in court. There was no clarity on Roza's participation in any specific DTK event and so the prosecution’s argument had become weak and insufficient, contended Roza’s counsel. His client did not attend DTK meetings and her name on their list was merely an indication of them extending an invitation to her for a meeting, submitted the defence counsel.
Roza was taken into official custody on November 20, 2020, when the investigation began against her. She was granted conditional release on November 23, after spending three-days in detention. Law enforcement authorities charged her with being a member of an armed terrorist organization.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism has closely observed her trial. We welcome Roza's acquittal from all loosely fabricated charges. We also believe that she should not have faced this persecution in the first place. We urge judicial authorities in Turkey to release all other women journalists who have been wrongfully targeted. The CFWIJ extends solidarity to all accomplished and hardworking women journalists, who strive to uphold the right to information and press freedom despite facing increasing degrees of threats and persecution.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism closely monitors the incidents in Turkey with great concern. Since March 8, Women's Day, police violence against women journalists increasingly continues in the country. As the coalition, we urge the Turkish state to provide a free environment for journalists. Following the news is our most fundamental democratic right to report. We demand the immediate release of our detained colleagues. Journalism is not a crime. Journalism cannot be prevented.
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