We Welcome The Release Of Journalist Kibriye Evren
Location: Turkey, Istanbul
Date: November 12, 2019Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is delighted that our colleague and Jin News reporter Kibriye Evren has been finally set free from prison.
However, we find the judicial control measures and international travel ban imposed on her reprehensible. Kibriye was released after the court decided to consider the 13 months she spent behind bars.
The eighth hearing of the trial, where Kibriye faced charges of “membership in a terrorist organisation” and “terrorist propaganda” for her journalistic activities and social media posts, was held at the Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court today.
While we welcome the news of her release, we also note with caution and disappointment that judicial control measures have been imposed on our colleague, including an international travel ban. Her trial has been adjourned until March 10, 2020. This is akin to putting her in a cage after freeing her from prison. Earlier, Nurcan Kaya was also placed under an international travel ban because of a tweet that was critical of Turkey’s operation in Syria.
Kibriye was arrested on October 11, 2018, as part of an investigation launched by Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. She was charged with “being a member of and making propaganda for a terrorist organization.”On September 24, the local court in Diyarbakir upheld Kibriye’s imprisonment, while the prosecution asked for a punishment of up to 20 years in prison for her. During her previous trial, our colleague explained that her social media posts should be seen as part of her right to freedom of expression. Read our full statement about her last hearing here.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is glad to see Kibriye out of prison and look forward to welcoming the release of all imprisoned journalists in Turkey. None of our colleagues deserve to be behind bars because of their journalistic work and their social media posts. We urge Turkish authorities to ensure press freedom in the country and allow freedom of speech to prevail.
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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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