Turkey: One More Woman Journalist Arrested For Being “Anti-State”
Location: Turkey, Istanbul
Date: March 5, 2020Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
Journalist Hülya Kılınç was arrested by the Criminal Court of Peace, while she was on duty. She has been deemed “anti-state” because of a news article she wrote, which mentions a deceased member of the MIT (Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization.) We condemn Hülya’s arrest and demand that all the charges against her be dropped.
Odatv correspondent Hülya Kılınç was taken into custody by teams in Manisa, after which she was brought to Istanbul to testify before the prosecutor. Hülya has been accused of naming an intelligence officer killed in Libya in her story published in Odatv on March 3. The officer’s name was previously mentioned by Ümit Özdağ, a member of the parliament.
Hülya appeared in court last night after her statement was recorded by the prosecutor, following which the court issued her arrest.
When speaking in her defense at the court Hülya said, “I am a journalist and reported on an incident in Libya. The photos of the martyr’s funeral used with my article were not shot by me; in fact, they were picked from social media. The news about the martyr was like any other news.”
Hülya further added that she has not committed an offense and requested to be released. “There is nothing confidential or wrong about publishing the martyr’s story, as I was aware that many people and authorities attended his funeral,” she said.
The judge called for her arrest because of the article, because it had revealed the identity, information and documents of the MIT’s duties, activities, members and families, using visual, audio and electronic communication tools. She was subsequently sent to the Bakırköy Women’s Prison.
Hülya Kılınç is not the first Turkish journalist to be arrested for revealing state secrets. Most journalists, especially women journalists, have been slapped with similar charges. The number of arrests and imprisonments shot up after the failed coup attempt in 2016.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism demands that Turkish authorities release all women journalists languishing in jails and drop charges against those who are being tried for doing their job.
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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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