07-11-22

PEN Norway event with Lawyers for Lawyers

On Thursday 4 November at the Law Hub, Amsterdam, Lawyers for Lawyers hosted PEN Norway’s panel discussion on the rule of law and freedom of expression in Turkey.

PEN Norway’s Turkey Indictment Project final reports were the subject of the panel discussion at which lawyers Veysel Ok and Ümit Büyükdağ gave their views on the ongoing crisis in the rule of law in Turkey and reflected on their own indictments in the study.

Chaired by PEN Norway Turkey Legal Adviser, lawyer Ceren Uysal, the panel discussed the reasons for the study of 22 indictments by PEN Norway and in particular the two indictment reports authored by Lawyers for Lawyers’ Jaantje Kramer and Stella Pizzato.

Lawyers for Lawyer’s President, Irma van den Berg made opening remarks, calling the indictment reports, ‘a great project for PEN, Turkey and lawyers.’ She was followed by PEN Netherlands’ Writers in Prison committee member Froukje Santing who highlighted the importance of PEN’s global work, as centres, on freedom of expression, defending writers and journalists and on the rule of law.

When asked by the chair of the panel what it was like defending clients with such flawed indictments as the basis of the case, human rights lawyer, Secretary General of the Progressive Lawyers’ Association and Adana lawyer Ümit Büyüdağ said, “It’s difficult to defend clients if there is no solid legal document in terms of an indictment. We’re at the stage too now, where we are being investigated just for defending our clients. Things we say in their defence in the courtroom become the basis of prosecutions against us.” Speaking of how the PEN Norway indictment reports have been used in Adana she said, “We remind the judges that when European observers are the in room their words and decisions will be translated and transmitted worldwide. We use the indictment reports to train young colleagues and I would like PEN Norway’s reports to be given also to judges and prosecutors.”

Lawyer Veysel Ok spoke about the recent arrests of more than 30 Kurdish journalists in recent months, saying, “We still have to explain to European NGOs that these journalists were only doing their job and that they are not terrorists.” He spoke of Lawyers for Lawyers’ report for PEN Norway on his own indictment as a lawyer in a freedom of expression case, saying, “We added your report to the Constitutional Court application in my case. These reports are also records for the future of what happened in these years in the judicial system in Turkey.” He urged European NGOs to do more in terms of global advocacy and trial monitoring. “We appreciate support from the west,” he said, “but we would like our colleagues to do more. We are giving a very strong fight for democracy and the rule of law here in Turkey every day,” he said.

Chair of the panel, Ceren Uysal asked PEN Norway Turkey Adviser Caroline Stockford to discuss recent hearings she had observed in Turkey, including the recent case against the platform, ‘We will stop the killing of women.’ Stockford bemoaned the lack of political will in Turkey to implement concrete and lasting legal reforms and to ensure the independence of Turkey’s judiciary.

Uysal closed the panel by mentioning PEN Norway’s Gezi Park trial monitoring and forthcoming booklet on 5 years of the Gezi trial which includes interviews with all jailed defendants and will be published in the coming weeks.

01-11-22

PEN Norway interview with Osman Kavala

“Gezi was a great popular movement that stood up against top-down policies and the restrictions of freedoms. Millions of our citizens participated in many cities. This movement did not have a headquarters, nor a brain, but it had a heart, and its heart was the Gezi Park.”

PEN Norway followed all the hearings of the Gezi trial, in which 16 defendants, including lawyer Osman Kavala were tried for “seeking to overthrow the government by force and violence”. On April 25, 2022, already under pre-trial detention, Osman Kavala was sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment and other defendants present at the
hearing were sentenced to 18 years imprisonment and arrested in the courtroom. PEN Norway was a firsthand witness to this shocking abuse of the judicial system and is currently conducting a series of interviews
with each imprisoned Gezi defendant.

Five years to the day since his formal arrest on bogus charges of attempting to bring down the state by violent means, PEN Norway interviews the businessperson, human rights defender and founder of Anadolu Kültür, Osman Kavala.

PEN Norway repeats its call for all charges to be dropped against Kavala and for him to be freed from prison without further hesitation. These five years of judicial harrassment and violation of Kavala’s rights to liberty and security must come to an end.

Read the full interview here: PEN Norway interview Kavala_eng

Türkçesini okumak için buraya tıklayınız: PEN Norway soylesi Kavala_tr

PEN Norveç’in Gezi davası tutuklusu Osman Kavala ile söyleşisi:“Gezi ülkemizin birçok şehrine yayılan, özgürlüklerin kısıtlanmasına ve tepeden inme politikalara karşı büyük bir halk hareketiydi.”

PEN Norveç Gezi sanıklarından Osman Kavala ile birlikte 16 sanığın “cebir ve şiddet kullanarak hükümeti devirmeye teşebbüs” suçu ile yargılandıkları Gezi davasının duruşmalarının tamamını takip etti. 25 Nisan 2022 tarihinde halihazırda tutuklu bulunan Osman Kavala ağırlaştırılmış müebbet hapis cezasına çarptırılırken, duruşmada hazır bulunan diğer sanıklar 18 yıl hapis cezasına çarptırıldılar ve mahkeme salonunda tutuklandılar. PEN Norveç yargı sisteminin bu şekilde şok edici bir düzeyde suistimal edilmesine bizzat şahit oldu ve bugün her bir tutuklu sanıkla söyleşi gerçekleştiriyor.

PEN Norveç, şiddet yoluyla devleti yıkmaya teşebbüs etmek gibi düzmece suçlamalarla tutuklanmasının üzerinden beş yıl geçtikten sonra, iş insanı, insan hakları savunucusu ve Anadolu Kültür’ün kurucusu Osman Kavala ile bir söyleşi gerçekleştirdi.

PEN Norveç, Kavala’ya yönelik tüm suçlamaların düşürülmesi ve daha fazla tereddüt gösterilmeden derhal tahliye edilmesi çağrısını yineliyor. Kavala’nın özgürlük ve güvenlik haklarının ihlal edildiği ve beş yıldır süren bu adli taciz sona ermelidir.

28-10-22

PEN Norway & PEN International call for release of Prof Dr Şebnem Korur Fincancı

STATEMENT:

Türkiye: Release prominent academic and human rights defender Şebnem Korur Fincancı

28 October 2022 – We, PEN Norway and PEN International, express our extreme concern at the formal arrest yesterday of prominent academic, forensic scientist, and leading human rights defender Prof. Dr. Şebnem Korur Fincancı, on charges of disseminating propaganda for a terrorist organisation.

President of the Union of Turkish Medical Associations (Türk Tabipler Birliği – TTB) and board member of the Human Rights Foundation of Türkiye (HRFT), Fincancı was taken into custody on 26 October 2022 in relation to comments made in a live interview on the Medya TV channel regarding the possible use of chemical weapons employed by the Turkish armed forces against members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Fincancı was restrained in her comments to Kurdish media, asking for a full investigation to be carried out and declaring that she could not confirm the use of chemical gas unless she were to make a formal forensic examination.

Fincancı has been arrested on charges of ‘disseminating propaganda for a terrorist organisation’ under Article 7/2 of Anti-Terror Law No. 3713 despite her comments clearly falling under the remit of freedom of expression.

A further case has been lodged to remove Fincancı from her role as President of the Union of Turkish Medical Associations.

There is a clear vendetta against our colleague who has been the subject of protracted judicial harrassment, of late in the Özgür Gündem case in which she and co-defendants Erol Önderoğlu and Ahmet Aziz Nesin are undergoing a retrial for acting as guest editors of the Kurdish daily during a country-wide solidarity campaign in 2016. This is despite the court ruling to acquit all three on 17 July 2019. Fincancı was also one of the ‘Academics for Peace’ where 2,212 academics were signatories of a petition calling for a restart to peace negotiations in the South-east of Türkiye. Fincancı was tried for her participation and acquitted of all charges.

PEN International President Burhan Sonmez said of Fincancı’s arrest: ‘PEN International stands in solidarity with Professor Şebnem Korur Fincancı. We urgently call for her immediate and unconditional release, and for all charges against her to be dropped. Her shocking detention and arrest constitute yet another attempt to silence independent voices in Türkiye. We have repeatedly called on the authorities to stop using anti-terrorism laws to target dissenting views and to uphold the right to freedom of expression, which includes the right to give and receive information. Şebnem Korur Fincancı should not be prosecuted merely for peacefully expressing her views and must be released at once.’

PEN Norway President Kjersti Løken Stavrum said: ‘We are extremely concerned to hear the news of her formal arrest yesterday for carefully recommending an investigation into a claim concerning the use of chemical weapons in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. This is the clearest example of the violation of Fincancı’s right to freedom of expression. Fincancı did not make a direct accusation but merely shared a cautious professional opinion in line with her professional role as forensic scientist and President of the Union of Turkish Medical Associations. We will not stand by and allow our colleague to be attacked with false charges and we demand her immediate release and the dropping of all charges against her.’

PEN Norway and PEN International will be following this matter very closely and are in full solidarity with our colleague Fincancı, who is one of Türkiye’s leading human rights defenders. We demand that Fincancı is released from detention immediately and unconditionally, and that all charges are withdrawn.

Media queries

For further details contact:

Caroline Stockford, Türkiye Advisor, PEN Norway: caroline@norskpen.no
Aurélia Dondo, Europe Programme Coordinator, PEN International: dondo@pen-international.org

04-10-22

Trial report: Case of editor Mehmet Gökceli

Cherry-picked evidence in editor’s trial

4 October, 2022

PEN Norway today observed the trial of journalist and editor of Demokrat Haber news site, Mehmet Göcekli at Istanbul’s 27th High Criminal Court.

The Prosecutor alleges that Göcekli disseminated terrorist propaganda over eleven years on his news site Demokrat Haber.

Göcekli’s lawyer, Ceren Kalı, told PEN Norway:

“When you look at my client Mehmet Göcekli’s website you will see that it comprises of a very wide range of reporting that represents a pluralistic view of global news. However, the police have cherry picked a few news items over eleven years of publishing in order to set up a terror propaganda case against him. Had they chosen, instead, the news items shared concerning the ruling AK party, then they would have declared him a supporter of the AKP instead.”

She went on to note that these historic posts had been strung together and called a repetitive crime in order to justify the inclusion of posts over 11 years old which should have fallen outside the time limits for inclusion according to the press law.

The lead judge declared the fact that Göcekli was not present and was living in Germany to be ‘boring’ before continuing to rule that the indictment be translated to German and that Göcekli be permitted to give his statement in Germany.

The case was adjourned until 16 February, 2022 at 11.00 am.

15-09-22

PEN Norway interview with Gezi defendant Hakan Altınay

Turkey: PEN Norway supports international call to restore Evrensel’s right to receive public ads

Press Advertising Agency revokes Evrensel newspaper’s right to receive public ads

[Türkçe versiyonu için aşağıya bakınız]

The International Press Institute (IPI) and 17 press freedom, freedom of expression and human rights organisations call on the Turkish Press Advertising Agency (BİK) to withdraw without delay its alarming decision to revoke the right of the independent Evrensel newspaper to receive public ads, a vital source of financial income for the publication.

BİK has a regulatory duty to act as an independent and fair distributor of public ads, and not to facilitate censorship through suppressing critical news outlets.

On 22 August 2022, Evrensel newspaper received BİK’s decision backdated to July 17, 2022, revoking its right to receive public ads. This move was prompted by an audit into alleged bulk buying that distorted Evrensel’s distribution figures against which measure the advertising levels are set. The right of Evrensel to receive public advertisements has been suspended since September 2019. With the latest decision, this suspended right was completely cancelled.

In its decision, the BİK stated that “the public ad ban on Evrensel was observed to be suspended for a full six months without break, excluding the period when such administrative monitoring was suspended due to the pandemic, therefore its right to receive public ads was revoked”. Evrensel has the right to appeal to the decision at court. Should Evrensel be removed from BİK’s system to receive any public advertising, a new, swiftly launched application process for re-gaining the right to public ads would take at least three years. This drawn-out process would be detrimental to the newspaper’s financial stability.

In the last three years, IPI and undersigned press freedom organisations have repeatedly called on BİK to withdraw the initial public ad ban that was initiated in September 2019 on Evrensel. Ten members of the European Parliament had also joined the call with a letter to then-General Director of BİK Rıdvan Duran requesting the ban be lifted. Despite an in person meeting with Duran in February 2020, the ad ban remained in force until this latest decision.

In a judgment issued on 10 August 2022, the Turkish Constitutional Court ruled that BİK’s arbitrary and consecutive public ad bans on newspapers including Sözcü, Cumhuriyet, Evrensel and BirGün, violated freedom of expression and press freedom as well as constituted and evidence of BİK acting as a tool for systematic censorship and criminalization of news coverage in the country. The Constitutional Court’s verdict thus confirmed that BİK lacks impartiality towards media outlets.

Media freedom in recent years has been deteriorating in Turkey in light of the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections in 2023, we are concerned about the state of remaining independent media outlets, the repercussions it will have on the right to access information for the residents of Turkey who will need to rely on the existing media outlets to make informed decisions in the election calendar, and how this will contribute to an already-shrinking civic space in the country. Hereby we once again call upon the Press Advertising Agency (BİK) in Turkey to withdraw the decision to revoke ad revenues for Evrensel.

Signatories:

International Press Institute (IPI)

ARTICLE 19

Articolo 21

Danish PEN

English PEN

European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)

IFEX

IPS Communication Foundation/bianet

Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA)

OBC Transeuropa (OBCT)

P24 (Platform for Independent Journalism)

PEN America

PEN Norway

PEN Turkey

Reporters Without Borders (RSF)

South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO)

Swedish PEN

The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ)

Uluslararası hak grupları, Evrensel’in kamu ilanı yayımlama hakkının geri verilmesi için çağrı yaptı

Basın İlan Kurumu, Evrensel gazetesinin kamu ilanı alma hakkını iptal etti

Uluslararası Basın Enstitüsü (IPI) ve 17 uluslararası basın ve ifade özgürlüğü ve insan hakları grubu, Basın İlan Kurumu’na (BİK) bağımsız Evrensel gazetesinin kamu ilanı alma hakkına yönelik iptal kararını derhal geri çekme çağrısı yaptı. BİK, gazetelerin yayın hayatı için hayati önem taşıyan kamu ilanlarının bağımsız ve adil bir biçimde dağıtılmasında düzenleyici bir rol oynamalıdır, eleştirel haber kurumlarını baskılayarak sansür mekanizmasını yaygınlaştırmada değil.

Evrensel gazetesine 22 Ağustos 2022’de tebliğ edilen 17 Temmuz tarihli BİK kararında gazetenin kamu ilanı alma hakkının tümüyle iptal edildiği bildirildi. Bu karar, Evrensel gazetesinin tirajını “çoklu alım” ile arttırdığı iddialarını takiben başlatılan denetimlerin gerçekleştirilmesinin ardından geldi. Evrensel için gazetelerin tirajlarına göre belirlenen kamu ilanı gelirleri Eylül 2019’da denetim kararına kadar BİK tarafından durdurulmuştu. Bu son karar ile Evrensel gazetesi, kamu ilanı yayımlama hakkını tümüyle kaldırdı.

BİK kararında, “23 Mart 2020 ile 30 Nisan 2022 tarihleri arasında Kurumca mevzuat şartlarının aranmadığı salgın süreci hariç bırakılmak suretiyle altı ay içinde yayınlama hakkı yeniden devam etmediği anlaşıldığından, Günlük Evrensel gazetesinin, resmi ilan ve reklam yayınlama hakkının sona ermesine karar verilmiştir,” ifadelerini kullandı. Evrensel’in kararı önce BİK’e itiraz etmek olmak üzere mahkemede temyiz hakkı bulunuyor. Evrensel gazetesinin BİK sisteminden çıkarılması halinde, ilan yayımlama hakkının geri kazanımı için bugün başlatılacak bir başvuru sürecinin dahi en az üç yıl süreceği öngörülüyor. Bu süreç, gazetenin finansal sürdürülebilirliği açısından son derece yıkıcı etkiler doğuracaktır.

Son üç yıl içinde, IPI ve aşağıda imzası bulunan basın özgürlüğü kurumları, Eylül 2019’da verilen Evrensel’e yönelik ilan durdurma cezasının kaldırılması için BİK’e pek çok kez çağrıda bulundu. 10 Avrupa Parlamentosu üyesi, dönemin BİK Başkanı Rıdvan Duran’a ortak mektup göndererek bu çağrıya destek vermişti. Şubat 2020’de Duran ile IPI öncülüğünde yüz yüze düzenlenen bir toplantıda bu talep ve endişeler dile getirilmiş olmasına rağmen, ilan durdurma cezası kaldırılmamıştı.

Sözcü, Cumhuriyet, Evrensel ve BirGün gazetelerinin toplu başvurusuna yönelik Anayasa Mahkemesi’nin 10 Ağustos 2022 tarihli kararında, bu gazetelere verilen arka arkaya ve keyfi ilan kesme cezalarının basın ve ifade özgürlüklerini ihlal ettiğini belirtti. Ayrıca bu durumun yapısal sorunlardan kaynaklandığını belirten karar ile BİK’in ülkedeki sistematik sansür mekanizmasının bir aracı olarak hareket ettiği adeta teyit etmiş oldu. Böylelikle, AYM kararı BİK’in medya kurumlarına yönelik bağımsız yaklaşımının kaybedildiğini tasdik etti.

Son yıllarda Türkiye’deki medya özgürlüğü alanı gün geçtikçe daralıyordu. 2023 genel ve başkanlık seçimleri takvimi devam ederken, bağımsız haber yapmaya çalışan medya kuruluşlarının durumu, bilgiye dayalı karar verebilmek için var olan basın kuruluşlarına bağımlı kalan Türkiye vatandaşlarının habere erişimi üzerindeki olumsuz etkileri ve tüm bunların halihazırda daralmakta olan sivil alana olumsuz katkısı hakkında büyük endişe içerisindeyiz. O nedenle, bir kez daha Basın İlan Kurumu’na Evrensel gazetesinin ilan yayımlama hakkının iptalinin geri çekilmesi için çağrı yapıyoruz.

İmzacı kurumlar:

Uluslararası Basın Enstitüsü (IPI)
ARTICLE 19
Articolo 21
Avrupa Basın ve Medya Özgürlüğü Merkezi (ECPMF)
Danish PEN
English PEN
IFEX
IPS Communication Foundation/bianet
Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA)
OBC Transeuropa (OBCT)
P24 (Platform for Independent Journalism)
PEN America
PEN Norway
PEN Turkey
Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO)
Swedish PEN
The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ)

07-07-22

PEN Norway interviews imprisoned Gezi Park Trial defendant Mine Özerden

Mine Özerden. Human Rights Defender.

PEN Norway interview with the imprisoned Gezi Park Trial defendant Mine Özerden:

“I wish that not only the opposition, but also people from all walks of life whose rights were violated would express their solidarity with Gezi and with us. I think people from different walks of life should gradually intensify their practice of standing together on a minimalist common ground and bring this issue to the agenda and do that through democratic methods.”

Read the interview in English: Mine Özerden interview_TİP-ENG_cs

Türkçesini okumak için buraya tıklayınız: Mine Özerden Söyleşi_TİP-TRcs

On 25 April, 2022 Mine Özerden and her co-defendants in the room were sentenced to
18 years in prison and were immediately arrested. Defendant Osman Kavala, who was
already in pre-trial detention was sentenced to life in prison with no parole. PEN Norway
witnessed this shocking abuse of the justice system in Turkey and are interviewing each
imprisoned defendant in turn.

«Sadece muhalefetin değil, her kesimden hakkı yenen insanların Gezi’ye ve bize sahip çıkmasını diliyorum. Farklı kesimlerden insanların asgari müştereklerde, eşdeğer ilişki kurarak bir arada durma pratikleri geliştirme halinin daha da yoğunlaşarak güne taşınması gerektiğini, bunun demokratik yöntemlerle olması gerektiğini düşünüyorum»

25 Nisan 2022 tarihinde Mine Özerden ve duruşmada hazır bulunan diğer sanıklar 18 yıl hapis cezasına çarptırıldılar ve mahkeme salonunda tutuklandılar. Halihazırda tutuklu yargılanan Osman Kavala ise ağırlaştırılmış müebbet hapis cezasına çarptırıldı. PEN Norveç yargı sisteminin bu şekilde şok edici bir düzeyde suistimal edilmesine bizzat şahit oldu ve bugün her bir tutuklu sanıkla söyleşi gerçekleştiriyor.

29-06-22

Turkey’s National Alliance – how do they stand on freedom of expression?

PEN Norway and Seyhan Avşar ask representatives from each party in Turkey’s new National Alliance where they stand on the rule of law and freedom of expression, ahead of planned elections next year.

Read the article here: Avşar_Article_TİP-EN(2)

Türkçesini okumak için buraya tıklayınız: Avşar_Article_TİP-TR(2)

“It is crucial to reinforce the notion of “us” with all our differences, and to build a democratic Turkey where fundamental rights and freedoms are guaranteed within the framework of the Council of Europe and European Union norms, and where individuals can freely express their thoughts and live their lives according to their beliefs, as equal and free citizens.”

– Excerpt from the multi-party Joint Declaration to Return to the Strengthened Parliamentary System.

01-04-22

Tag Archive for: Freedom of expression