Turkey: Pınar Gayip Threatened With Bodily Harm, Legal Action By Defense Lawyer In Sexual Abuse Case For Reporting On Trial

Location: Turkey, Istanbul   
Date: June 30, 2022

Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe

Etkin News Agency (ETHA) editor Pınar Gayıp was threatened with bodily harm over her coverage of a sexual assault case by the alleged perpetrator’s lawyer. The defense lawyer warned Pınar, saying he would "break her bones" and sue her if she continued to report on the matter. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) condemns the threat and calls for immediate measures by the authorities to ensure Pınar’s protection. It is extremely worrying that the lawyer of a man accused of sexual assault is attempting to suppress journalistic coverage of the trial. 

Pınar has closely followed Arzu Sena Topuz’s case. Arzu was sexually assaulted while interning at a law office in 2020. The lawyer of the accused in the case has repeatedly targeted the journalist online with abuse and slander, labelling her a “terrorist”. Most recently, the lawyer took to threatening her with bodily harm and said he would “break her bones” if she continued reporting on the case. calling her "terrorist" on his social media account and threatened the journalist with "breaking her bones" in his most recent post. The lawyer suspended his account after his threats.

"A lawyer is threatening to break my bones for reporting on his client. If we had fear, we wouldn't be journalists! But I let everyone know here, if anything happens to me, it is Semih or his abuser client,” wrote Pınar on Twitter, sharing the threats directed at her. 

Bir avukat, tacizci müvekkilinin haberini yaptığım için parmaklarımı kırmakla tehdit ediyor.

Korkumuz olsaydı gazeteci olmazdık!

Ama bu burada dursun herhangi bir şey olursa sebebi de Semih midir nedir bununla tacizci müvekkilidir.

Şimdi tehdidini de al ve ne yapıyorsan yap. https://t.co/BO60WxoCEm

— Pınar Gayıp (@pinargayip) June 26, 2022

Arzu, a fourth-year student at Marmara University Faculty of Law, worked as a volunteer intern at a law office in İstanbul and was sexually assaulted during her internship. She pursued legal action against the perpetrator and the trial is ongoing. 

Pınar has published three reports on developments in the case and the ongoing trial. The journalist shared the threatening messages she was sent with CFWIJ. The defense lawyer, namely Semih, warned Pınar against her coverage. For naming his client in her reports, Semih threatened to sue Pınar, accused her of propagating false news, called her a terrorist, discredited her employer publication linking it to terrorist groups and threatened her with bodily harm.  

The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the threats to Pınar Gayip’s safety and extends her support. The allegations leveled against the journalist by the lawyer of a man a accused of sexual assault are extremely worrying. It does not go amiss that the lawyer resorted to slander and insult. He accused her of terrorism and spreading fake news and threatened to sue her. It does not go amiss that these are the allegations frequently leveled against journalists in Turkey by the state when it retaliates against independent reporting. Such attacks on journalists seeking to hold power to account must end. The relevant authorities must take immediate action against the threats to Pınar and ensure her safety. All stakeholders must actively work to ensure better working for women journalists, especially those reporting on matters of sexual assault where the accused often go to immense lengths to evade justice.

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.

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