Turkey: Release Order Granted For Imprisoned Journalist Sedef Kabaş
Location: Turkey, Istanbul
Date: March 11, 2022Available in: 🇹🇷 TürkçeAfter remaining 49 days in prison, journalist Sedef Kabaş was granted a release order and convicted of a suspended prison sentence of two years four months for insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The journalist was sued for ‘insulting the president and two ministers of Turkey. She was kept behind bars for ‘flight risk’ and released at the first hearing. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) welcomes the release of Sedef Kabaş, however, we strongly condemn the sentence imposed on the journalist for "insulting the President”. The prison sentence rendered constitutes an attack on the freedom of expression.
Despite the decision of the Board of Judges and Prosecutors not to hold the hearings on March 11, 2022, due to the ongoing snowstorm in Istanbul. Sedef Kabaş was brought to the hearing held at the Istanbul 36th High Criminal Court from prison. A limited number of observers and reporters are allowed in the Istanbul 36th Criminal Court of First Instance due to the Covid-19 measures. Many press freedom organizations were not taken into the courtroom, including CFWIJ.
The journalist was charged with “insulting the president”, after she used a popular Circassian proverb on a live television segment. She was sent to prison on January 22, 2022.
The hearing began with journalist Sedef Kabaş’s defense. Given briefly about her background and links to the foreign countries at her defense, the judge of the case interrupted her and ordered Sedef to continue her defense about the accusations.
She said since she started her career, she had many interviews and Turkish government officials manipulated her statement in April 2021 and President Erdoğan targeted her. “The legal prosecution was started after that,” she said.
“If I had been a member of ISIS today and had been on the intelligence’s suicide bomb list, I would have been free. If I had been in the drug trade, I would have been able to roam freely," Sedef continued.
The journalist also cited some of the examples from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) decisions on freedom of expression and refused all the allegations against her.
“I didn't even use Erdogan's name in my words, but he took it [proverb] over. These are all criticisms and cannot be considered an insult. Otherwise, it means usurping the public's right to receive information,” she followed. She requested her acquittal from the court.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Turkey’s Home Secretary Süleyman Soylu were presented by their lawyers at the hearing. Tensions were raised from time to time, due to the dialogues of the defendant and plaintiff parties. The prosecutor, on the other hand, also presented his opinion.
The prosecutor requested Sedef Kabaş’s punishment for ‘insulting the president and public officials, claiming that the journalist deliberately used the words against President Erdoğan and his office. Also, she repeated the proverb she said on TV on her social media account. He also claimed that Sedef ‘betrayed the Home Secretary’s surname as an insult. He demanded the continuation of Sedef’s detention.
The plaintiff parties also made a statement and demanded that the journalist be punished at the highest limit. Announcing its decision after the break, the court ordered Sedef’s release and handed a suspended prison sentence to two years and four months for ‘insulting the president’. She was acquitted from the charge of ‘insulting the public officials’.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism has followed Sedef’s case since she was taken to detention on the night of January 22, 2022. Together with 38 press freedom organizations, journalists called on Turkey to release the senior journalist Sedef Kabaş. We also organized a social media campaign on Twitter with the hashtag #FreeSedefKabaş to raise Sedef’s voice and the baseless charges she faced solely for criticizing Turkey’s administration.
CFWIJ welcomes the release of Sedef Kabaş, however, the prison sentence given to the journalist for "insulting the President '' is unacceptable. This punishment was given to all critical voices to silence their expressions. We demand an immediate annulment of the verdict and acquittal of Sedef from all charges. We reiterate that journalism is not a crime. Journalists only pursue the truth and cannot be prosecuted solely for doing their job.
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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