Turkey: Good News Arrives From Turkey, As Journalist Ruken Demir Walks Out Of Jail After 115 Days
Location: Turkey, Izmir
Date: March 7, 2020Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
Mezopotamya Agency reporter Ruken Demir has been released after 115 days. She was taken into custody on November 12, 2019. Ruken was accused of “carrying out activities on behalf of a terrorist organization”. We welcome Ruken’s release and urge Turkish authorities to release all other women journalists languishing in jails across the country.
Ruken was arrested during a raid at her home in Izmir. She was then taken to the Provincial Security Directorate’s Anti-Terror branch. Read our statement here.
In January, we reported on how she was being subjected to inhumane conditions in prison. Ruken was banned from sending and receiving letters while in jail. Authorities had accused her of leaking information from behind the prison walls.
Ruken was on trial for "membership of a terrorist organization" on the basis of her interviews with news sources . The first hearing was held at the İzmir 19th High Criminal Court. The court decided to evacuate her under judicial control measures.
This was not the first time that Ruken was persecuted by Turkish authorities. In September 2018, she was sentenced to a year and three months of imprisonment for “propaganda for a terrorist organization”. Ruken was accused because of a social media post in 2006. However, she was released following the deferment of the verdict’s announcement.
The current lawsuit against Ruken is still ongoing and the next hearing of her trial will be held on April 28.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is glad to see Ruken out of prison. However, we urge Turkish judiciary to ensure a fair and speedy trial, and acquit her from all the arbitrary charges against her. We hope that she will be found not guilty, and urge authorities to release our other colleagues in custody as well.
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The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world, and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
Follow us on Instagram @womeninjournalism and Twitter @CFWIJ. Our website is WomenInJournalism.org and we can be reached at press@womeninjournalism.org
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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