Turkey: Reyhan Çapan Fined For Reports On Killing Of Teenager Berkin Elvan During Gezi Park Protests
Location: Turkey, DIstanbul
Date: May 25, 2022Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
A criminal court in İstanbul has fined journalist Reyhan Çapan and her colleague over their coverage of teenager Berkin Elvan’s killing during Gezi Park protests in 2013. Announcing the verdict at the fifth hearing of the case on May 24, 2022, the court imposed a fine of 12,500 Turkish Liras (estimated $800) on former editor-in-chief Reyhan and former managing editor Eren Keskin for reports published in since shuttered Özgür Gündem newspaper between 2014 and 2015. The Coalition For Women In Journalism registers strong protest against this ruling. We emphasize that journalism is not a crime and must not be treated as such. This verdict stands as yet another example of the dire state of press freedom in the country.
Reyhan and her colleague were forced to stand trial for “disclosure of the identity of those who are under the age of 18 and who have been harmed by crime” after the newspaper reported that 15-year-old Elvan died as a result of a tear gas canister thrown by a police officer during protests in Taksim Gezi Park, İstanbul, in June 2013. After Berkin’s death, an investigation was conducted into the alleged killing but the case is yet to reach its legal conclusion.
However, for reporting on police brutality and the killing of a teenage protestor, the courts have imposed fines on the journalists twice. A previous ruling on the same case imposed a fine of 10,461 Turkish Liras each. After the defendants’ lawyers appealed before the Supreme Court of Appeals against this verdict, the case was reopened in November last year. On May 24, 2022, the İstanbul Second Criminal Court of First Instance not only upheld the previous verdict but increased the fine to 12,500 Turkish Liras. This was the fifth hearing of the case since Mesopotamia Agency (MA) lawyer Sercan Korkmaz, who was representing Reyhan and Keskin in court, argued that the news reports informed of a matter of public interest. He cited past rulings of the Supreme Court of Appeals and contended that Berkin Elvan’s case was known globally when he was killed. Korkmaz argued that the allegations made against the journalists do not constitute a crime.
Meanwhile, the prosecutor repeated his arguments that Elvan was harmed by the news reports published in Özgür Gündem newspaper and moved the court for conviction. The court ruled in the prosecution’s favor and not only upheld the fine imposed on the journalists but increased it.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism denounces this ruling and calls for its annulment. The abuse of law to punish Reyhan Çapan and Eren Keskin is a blatant move to discourage reporting on state overreaches. The Turkish authorities and courts must investigate the claims the police brutality which resulted in a teenage protestor’s death instead of criminalizing the coverage of such state abuses.
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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