Turkey: The 11th Hearing Of The Case Against Journalist Kibriye Evren Was Postponed To 2021 Due To Requests For Witness Testimonies
Location: Turkey, Diyarbakir
Date: November 27, 2020Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
The 11th hearing of the trial against Jinnews reporter Kibriye Evren was held yesterday at Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court. The court requested a sample of the indictment and the statements made towards the journalist in various investigations. The next hearing will be held on March 9, 2021. The Coalition For Women In Journalism demands Kibriye’s immediate acquittal.
Kibriye Evren was arrested on October 11, 2018, and spent 13 months behind bars. She was arrested during the operations against Kurdish politicians in 2018. She was later released on November 12, 2019, yet her case proceeds. The indictment stated Evren’s trips abroad, her social media posts, and her presence at the Kurdish women groups— such as Free Women’s Congress— as evidence against her. Anonymous witness statements were also included in the prosecution’s indictment of the journalist.
Kibriye is facing up to 20 years in prison pending charges of being affiliated with a terrorist organization and spreading propaganda of a terrorist group. The 11th hearing of the trial was held yesterday at Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court. The court requested a copy of the indictment filed by the Mersin 2nd High Criminal Court against the journalist, as well as the statements made about Kibriye in various investigations conducted in Antalya and Ağrı.
The judicial control condition on the journalist was lifted on March 10, 2020, but Evren's travel ban remains in place. Earlier, Nurcan Kaya was also placed under a travel ban for her social media post that was critical of Turkey’s operations in Syria.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns these attempts to silence women journalists through legal harassment. We urge the authorities to abandon the legal channels they use to intimidate journalists. We demand the acquittal of all journalists who face groundless charges. We insist that journalists must be allowed to work freely, upholding the freedom of the press.
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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.
If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.
