11-10-23

Indictment report in case of Prof. Dr. Şebnem Korur Fincancı

An analysis of the indictment against Human Rights Defender Şebnem Korur Fincancı

PEN Norway’s Turkey Indictment Project continues with four new indictment reports researched and authored by four leading international human rights lawyers and academics in 2023.

These reports represent a new analysis of indictments that directly concern freedom of expression in Turkey and those that particularly target journalists, politicians, human rights defenders and lawyers.

The report published today analyses the indictment written in November 2022 against Lawyer Şebnem Korur Fincancı

Read the full report in English

Raporun tamamını Türkçe olarak buradan okuyabilirsiniz

Şebnem Korur Fincancı MD is one of Turkey’s leading human rights defenders and an internationally-recognized forensic expert. She is currently the president of the Turkish Medical Association, and an executive board member of the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey. Dr. Fincancı is one of the authors of the Istanbul Protocol, the The Manual on the Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. Fincancı was also one of the 2212 academics known as the “Academics for Peace”. She was prosecuted for signing a petition condemning the curfew in the south-east of Turkey and demanding peace. She was acquitted at the end of the trial.

Fincancı was previously prosecuted along with journalist Erol Önderoğlu and academic Ahmet Aziz Nezin for her work as a guest editor at Özgür Gündem newspaper during a country-wide solidarity campaign in 2016. She was acquitted in 2019 in a trial monitored by PEN Norway. However, the Istanbul Regional Court of Appeal reversed the judgment and along with other defendants, Fincancı will be on trial again.

In relation to this more recent indictment, Fincancı was arrested for an interview she gave on allegations that the Turkish armed forces had used chemical weapons in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. In the interview, Fincancı emphasised the need for an independent investigation and stated that she could only comment on whether chemical weapons had been used after an official forensic examination had been carried out. Although Fincancı’s statements were entirely within the scope of freedom of expression, she was arrested on charges of disseminating propaganda for a terrorist organisation under Article 7/2 of the Anti-Terror Law No. 3713 and afterwards she was sentenced to 2 years 8 months 15 days imprisonment. The case is still before the Istanbul Regional Court of Appeal.

Prof. Helen Duffy evaluated the indictment against Korur Fincancı in the light of international law and stated that “the crimes alleged, the factual basis set out in the indictment and the evidence referred to are manifestly insufficient to constitute reasonable suspicion of criminal activity. The indictment is, on its face, flagrantly incompatible with Turkey’s obligations under international human rights law detailed in this indictment review.”

Due to the ongoing crisis in the judiciary and deteriorated state of the rule of law in Turkey we will continue to analyse indictments that directly concern freedom of expression in 2024.

14-07-23

PEN Norway observes Kurdish media case

Uphold freedom of expression and access to information following devastating earthquakes

Türkiye: Uphold freedom of expression and access to information following devastating earthquakes

The PEN centres signatory below wish to offer their deepest sympathy and support to all those affected by the two earthquakes that hit south eastern Türkiye and Syria on 6 February 2023. Over 41,000 people have been confirmed dead at the time of writing, with tens of thousands still missing. We express our condolences to the families of the victims and reiterate our solidarity with friends at PEN Türkiye and Kurdish PEN.

We also protest, in the strongest terms, the censorship and media control being deployed by Türkiye’s government in the wake of this disaster. We urge the authorities to respect the crucial need for access to sites such as Twitter, TikTok, Google, and Facebook, particularly when vital solidarity activities are being organised online.

We support the Journalists’ Union of Türkiye who are recording and protesting the prevention of journalists fulfilling their role, and Türkiye -based NGO Media Law Studies Association’s co-founder, lawyer Veysel Ok, who has launched a criminial complaint against mobile network (GSM) operators and the executives of the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) for “misuse of public duty”, “prevention of communication”, “reckless killing” and “reckless injury.”

PEN Norway’s President, Kjersti Løken Stavrum denounced the restriction of internet access in Türkiye, saying, “The use of social media by victims trapped under fallen buildings in the past week has saved lives. We would urge the government of Türkiye to fully implement and adhere to all constitutional and European Convention-protected rights of its citizens at this time of great need. Media freedom is always important but at times like this it is absolutely indispensable. We send our support and solidarity to all journalists working under these terribly difficult conditions.”

Multiple arrests of journalists have been reported in the wake of the earthquakes, including that of Evrensel journalist Volkan Pekal on 7 February after taking pictures of a state hospital in Adana. Journalists Mahmût Altintaş and Sema Çağlak were also arrested: they were subsequently released, having had their journalist cards confiscated following interrogation.

Criminal investigations have been initiated against two other journalists, Merdan Yanardağ and Enver Aysever, for ‘incitement to hatred or hostility’. Political scientist Özgün Emre Koç was detained for sharing information about the earthquake on social media and was released after being detained overnight. It has come to our attention that only journalists in possession of the turquoise press cards introduced to replace yellow cards in 2018 are permitted to report from the area. However, due to the alleged slow processing and upgrading of said cards, many professional journalists are still waiting for the issue of new turquoise press cards.

Türkiye’s restriction on the dissemination of news at a time when communication is vital to effective emergency relief efforts is absolutely unacceptable. The launch of the divisive ‘Disinformation Reporting application’ – which encourages users to report accounts that share misinformation – came at a time when the whole country and wider world were trying to work to save lives and coordinate support for survivors.

We further urge the government of Türkiye not to use the implemented three month state of emergency period in the affected areas to further deprive citizens of their rights of access to reliable news sources and communication methods. This is a time for adherence to media freedom standards, especially in the lead up to the forthcoming elections.

The undersigned PEN centres will continue to monitor the situation for freedom of expression in south eastern Türkiye during the imposed state of emergency in the affected areas. We wish courage and strength to all those working to support the rights and needs of survivors and victims of this devastating event.

Signatories:

PEN Norway

PEN International

PEN Türkiye

Kurdish PEN

Vietnamese Abroad PEN Centre

PEN Netherlands

Swedish PEN

Danish PEN

Wales PEN Cymru

San Miguel PEN Centre

Croatian PEN

PEN Armenia

PEN Quebec

English PEN

Irish PEN/PEN na hÉireann

PEN Esperanto

PEN Melbourne

PEN Sydney

PEN Lebanon

PEN South Africa

19-01-23

PEN Norveç İddianame Projesi kapsamında: Abdurrahman Gök İddianame Raporu

PEN Norveç Türkiye İddianame Projesi – yeni raporlar

PEN Norway Turkey Indictment Project – new reports

PEN Norway’s Turkey Indictment Project continues with three new indictment reports researched and authored by three leading international human rights lawyers in 2022.

A new analyses of indictments that directly concern freedom of expression in Turkey and particularly target journalists.

The report published today analyses the indictment of June 2020 against journalist Cengiz Çandar.

Read the full report here in English:

PEN Norway_Legal Report on Indictment Cengiz Candar Eng

Çandar is an experienced Middle East expert and columnist who has been a journalist for more than 40 years. The ongoing trial against him is based on a short post he made
on his twitter account on 30 May 2017. The tweet was a message of condolence for the killing of a young woman by ISIS, who was known to the public for the red scarf she wore during the Gezi protests.

As a result of the tweet, Çandar was charged with praising crime and criminals. Çandar is
still being prosecuted.

Lawyer Barbara Spinelli evaluated the indictment against Çandar in the light of Turkey’s domestic law and international law and stated that the indictment does not contain a cause-and-effect relationship and does not relate the evidence to the elements of the offence.

Spinelli underlined that if this practice were to become widespread, it would be impossible to expect individuals in society to speak freely, protected by the law.

Due to the ongoing crisis in the judiciary and deteriorated state of the rule of law in Turkye we will continue to analyse indictments that directly concern freedom of expression in 2023.

11-01-23

Prof. Dr. Fincancı’ya Tahliye

Türk Tabipleri Birliği (TTB) Merkez Konseyi Başkanı ve adli tıp uzmanı Prof. Dr. Şebnem Korur-Fincancı hakkında iki buçuk ay sonra tahliye kararı verildi.

Fincancı’nın “örgüt propagandası” suçlamasıyla yargılandığı davanın üçüncü duruşması bugün İstanbul 24. Ağır Ceza Mahkemesi’nde görüldü.

Mahkeme, Korur Fincancı’yı “örgüt propagandası” suçlamasından 2 yıl 8 ay 15 gün hapis cezasına çarptırırken, tahliyesine karar verdi.

Korur Fincancı, Ekim 2022’de Avrupa’da yayın yapan Kürt televizyonu Medya Haber’de TSK’nın Irak Kürdistan Bölgesi’nde yürüttüğü askeri operasyonlarda kimyasal silah kullanıldığı iddialarına ilişkin yayımlanan görüntüleri değerlendirmesinin ardından, önce sosyal medyada hedef gösterilmiş, ardından da tutuklanmıştı.

Adliye önünde polis barikatı

Fincancı bu duruşmada da salona jandarma çemberinde getirildi.

Çok sayıda hekim, hak savunucusu ve gazetecinin yanısıra, PEN Norveç duruşma raportörü, Human Rights Watch (HRW), European Doctors (CPME) ve FİDH temsilcileri, Almanya başkonsolosu, AB Delegasyonu, Hollanda, ABD, İsveç konsolosluklarından temsilciler duruşma salonunda hazır bulundu. İzleyiciler ve avukatlar salona sığmadı.

Duruşma salonunda sivil giyimli polisler de hazır bulundu. Duruşma boyunca savunmalar, polis telsizlerinin sesiyle kesildi.

Mahkeme, avukatların reddi hakim kararının reddedildiğini açıkladı. Diyarbakır Baro Başkanı Nahit Eren, ret kararının gerekçesinin net olmadığını söylerken, gerek duruşma salonundaki düzen, gerek üç avukat sınırlandırması gibi uygulamalarla mahkemenin adil yargılama hakkını ihlal ettiğini söyledi.

Önceki dönem İzmir Baro Başkanı Avukat Özkan Yücel de, bugün adliye girişinin polis barikatlarıyla kaplı olduğunu, yurttaşların adliyeye ve duruşma salonuna girişinin engellenmeye çalışıldığını anlatırken, savunma hakkının kısıtlandığını belirtti. Yücel, savcının telefonuyla oynamasına ve beyanları dinlememesine tepki gösterdi. Savcı, tüm duruşma boyunca telefonu ve önündeki bilgisayarın klavyesiyle meşgul olmaya devam etti.

Milli Savunma Bakanlığı avukatı, üçüncü kez duruşmaya gelerek davaya katılma talebinde bulundu. Mahkeme tüm talepleri reddetti.

Avukatlar: Hukuki değil siyasi bir dava

Şebnem Korur Fincancı’nın söz istemesi üzerine, mahkeme başkanı “Size önceki celsede de söz vermiştik ama yine verelim” dedi.

Sözlerine salondakilere teşekkür ederek başlayan Fincancı, “Artık siyasi iktidar dışında kimsenin ağzına kimyasal silah kelimesini alamaması, korku ikliminin yaratıldığını gösteriyor. Ama korkunun ecele faydası yok, Sayın Hakim” dedi.

Avukatlar Öztürk Türkdoğan, Hülya Yıldırım ve Meriç Eyüboğlu bunun siyasi bir dava olduğunu söylerken, suç unsurlarının oluşmadığını anlattı. Fincancı’nın örgüt propagandası suçlamasıyla tutuklanmasının hukuki olmadığına ilişkin emsal AİHM ve AYM kararlarını, Yargıtay içtihatlarını ve çeşitli Venedik Komisyonu görüşlerini mahkemeye sundular. Anayasaya aykırılık kararı verilmesini istediler.

Avukatların beyanlarından sonra hakim “Yargılamaya son vereceğiz, duruşmayı bitireceğiz” diyerek Fincancı’dan son sözlerini söylemesini istedi. Avukatlar buna itiraz etti, Anayasaya aykırılık talebinin bir ara karar gerektirdiğini, hakimin duruşmada olanları dinlemeden ceza vermeye çalıştığını söyledi.

Fincancı da son sözünde “Bu hukuki değil, siyasi bir dava. TTB’yi, demokratik ilkeleri yok etmek, toplumun hak arama iradesini yok etmek üzerine bir dava” diye konuştu.

Courtroom sketch of defendant Prof Dr Korur Fincancı by artist Zeynep Özatalay

Savunmaların ardından mahkeme ara verdi. Aradan sonra kararını açıklayan mahkeme, Fincancı’nın örgüt propagandası suçlamasından 2 yıl 8 ay 15 gün cezalandırılmasına karar verdi. Mahkeme, cezaevinde kaldığı süre ve verilen ceza miktarına bağlı olarak, Fincancı’nın tahliye edilmesine karar verdi. Mahkeme ayrıca Türk Ceza Kanunu’nun 53. Maddesinin uygulanmasına karar verdi. Buna göre, Korur Fincancı hakkındaki hüküm onanırsa Fincancı doktorluk mesleğini icra edemeyecek ve TTB başkanı olarak da görev yapması mümkün olmayacak.

PEN Norveç olarak Şebnem Korur Fincancı’nın özgürlüğüne kavuşmasından ötürü sevinçli olmakla birlikte, Korur Fincancı’nın ve tüm Türkiye toplumunun ifade özgürlüğünü hiçe sayan cezayı sert şekilde kınıyoruz. Umarız ki, Korur Fincancı’nın savunma avukatlarının karara itirazının akabinde üst mahkeme ifade özgürlüğünü koruyan bir karara imza atacaktır.

30-12-22

Gezi’yi İzlemek – PEN Norveç’in 5 Yıllık Raporu

Gezi’yi İzlemek

Tutuklu sanıkların her biriyle yapılan röportajlar, konuya ilişkin makaleler, iddianame raporları ve Türkiye’deki özgürlük ve demokrasi savunucularını kriminalize ederek hapse atmayı amaçlayan beş yıllık Gezi Parkı yargılaması üzerine PEN Norveç’in gözlem sürecine genel bir bakış.

Raporumuzu buradan okuyabilirsiniz:

PEN_Norway_Geziyi_izlemek_tr_web

PEN Norveç, Türkiye İddianame Projesi kapsamında Gezi Parkı sanıklarıyla ilgili iki iddianame raporu yayınladı. Bu raporlar Gezi Parkı ana davası iddianamesinin bir analizi ile Osman Kavala ve Jak Barkey ile ilgili düzmece casusluk suçlamalarına müteakip hazırlanan iddianamenin bir analizini içeriyordu. Her iki rapor da burada yer almaktadır.

PEN Norveç’in Gezi davasındaki sanıklar hakkındaki gözlemleriyle savunuculuğunu ele alan bu kitapçık, dava izleme sürecine, Gezi ayaklanmasının Türkiye halkı için önemine, 2013 yılındaki protestoların hemen ardından hak ve özgürlükleri hedef alan acımasız hükümet baskısı hakkında makalelerin yanı sıra duruşma raporlarımızı, açıklamalarımızı ve açık mektuplarımızı içeriyor.

25 Nisan 2022’de şok edici cezalara çarptırılarak derhal tutuklanan mevcut tüm Gezi sanıklarının, bu masum insan hakları savunucularının hepsiyle sırayla hapishanede görüşerek dayanışmamızı ve desteğimizi devam ettirdik. Sözü edilen insan hakları savunucularıyla yapılan ve kitapçığın sonunda yer alan röportajlar, onların sahip oldukları metanetin, kararlılığın ve demokrasiye, tüm görüşlere saygı duyulan, devlet organlarının düzgün işlediği adil, açık bir topluma duydukları sarsılmaz inancın bir kanıtıdır.

30-12-22

Monitoring Gezi – PEN Norway’s Five Year Report

Monitoring Gezi

Read our full five-year report here:

PEN_Norway_Monitoring_Gezi_eng_web

Interviews with each imprisoned defendant, articles, indictment reports and an overview of PEN Norway’s monitoring of the five-year Gezi Park trial that was aimed at criminalising and jailing defenders of freedom and democracy in Turkey.

As part of the Turkey Indictment Project, PEN Norway published two indictment reports relating to the Gezi Park trial defendants. These were an analysis of the indictment in the main Gezi Park case and an analysis of the subsequent indictment regarding bogus espionage charges in relation to Osman Kavala and Jak Barkey. Both reports are included here.

This booklet on PEN Norway’s observations of and advocacy for the defendants in the Gezi case includes articles on the monitoring process, the importance of the Gezi uprising to the people of Turkey, the government’s brutal pushback on rights and freedoms in the wake of the 2013 protests and also our hearing reports, statements and open letters.

Following the shocking sentencing and immediate arrest on April 25, 2022 of all present Gezi defendants, we continued our solidarity and support of these innocent human rights advocates by interviewing them all, in turn, in prison. Their interviews can be found towards the end of the booklet and are a testament to personal strength, convictions and their unshakeable belief in democracy and a fair, open society where all views are respected and in which the organs of state function correctly.

Early in 2023 PEN Norway will hold a launch event for this five-year study of the Gezi Park trial.

29-12-22

No release for Fincancı, again

The second hearing of the trial against Prof. Dr. Şebnem Korur-Fincancı, the President of the Union of Turkey’s Medical Associations (TBB) and a forensic medicine expert, was held today at the 24th High Criminal Court of Istanbul. Fincancı is on trial for the alleged crime of “making propaganda for a terrorist organization”.

Fincancı’s lawyers said the trial was not fair or objective and requested the recusal of the judicial panel. The court rejected this request and ruled to continue Fincancı’s detention in prison.

Korur Fincancı was first targeted on social media and then arrested following her comments on images she had been shown in relation to the alleged use of chemical weapons in military operations carried out by the Turkish Armed Forces in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. Her comments were broadcast in October 2022 by the Kurdish television Medya Haber, based in Europe,

A wall of military police around Fincancı

Seven miliatary police accompanied Fincancı as she was brought to the court room, and she stood encircled by five of them throughout the trial.

More than 80 lawyers were present to defend Fincancı. The hearing was observed by a large crowd of medical doctors, rights defenders, and journalists, as well as diplomats from the Swiss and EU delegations and the German Consul General. Parliamentary representatives included the HDP co-chairman as well as HDP and CHP party deputies. The courtroom proved to be too small for the large number of observers.

Lawyer Meriç Eyüboğlu requested that the hearing be held in a larger hall to protect the right to a fair trial. Erkan Şenses, the President of the Batman Bar Association noted that the Court’s decision to limit the number of lawyers representing Fincancı to three was against the law. He stated that this limitation had become a law after the coup attempt and did not apply to the prosecution of the offence of making propaganda for the terrorist organization.

The prosecutor restated his previous opinion. The lawyer of the Ministry of National Defence restated his request to become a party in the case, which had been rejected by the Court in the previous hearing. This request was rejected once again and the Ministry’s lawyer took a seat among the defence lawyers and followed the hearing. Unable to enter the hall due to the large number of observers, some of Fincancı’s lawyers objected to this situation, but the judge rejected this objection, declaring that “he would decide whoever would be allowed in the court room”.

Fincancı: Lung damage? I wonder what kind of a propaganda impact it has

Following the objections of the lawyers as to the formalities, the Court proceeded to hear Fincancı’s statement. Saying that her actions were not an offence but a part of her responsibilities as a medical doctor and a citizen, Fincancı stated “I wonder how one could interpret a medical assessment as an act of propaganda and what kind of a possible propaganda impact lung damage could have”.

Financı mentioned the ruling party AKP officials who targeted her and said:

“We criticised them based on science but they accused us of terrorism, high treason, using improper language. If I am a terrorist, I wonder which organization I am a member of. The Human Rights Foundation of Turkey? Association of Palestinian Prisoners? International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRTC)? The President of the Republic calls me a terrorist in front of the public. Then how can members of the judiciary dare to think differently?

“Our struggle is about bringing new lives into the world and about letting them live their lives with dignity. And I don’t think this is a crime, and therefore I demand acquittal.”

The lawyers requested the recusal of the judicial panel.

Quoting some of the statements made by the judge in the courtroom, Fincancı’s lawyers claimed that the court conveyed the impression that it has been operating under the instructions of the prosecutor. “It seems everything has been already predetermined in the prosecutor’s opinion and we are the small actors just making a statement here.”

Restating that Fincancı was on trial because she demanded an effective investigation against the allegation that chemical weapons were used, Fincancı’s lawyers expressed their disbelief that the case in question was being handled objectively and fairly as the unlawfulness and smear campaigns have been going on since the start of the investigation. Lawyer Eyüboğlu said, “We are here today with the expectation that you will hand down a sentence anyway,” and claimed that they requested a recusal because of these reasons.

After the lawyers’ request for the recusal of the judicial panel, the hearing was adjourned for 20 minutes.

After the break, the presiding judge dismissed the recusal request “on the grounds that it was overdue and intended to prolong the hearing”.

The Court decided to continue Fincancı’s detention. The next hearing is on January 11, 2023. PEN Norway will be represented in the courtroom on January 11, 2023.

29-12-22

Prof. Dr. Fincancı’ya Yine Tahliye Yok

Türk Tabipleri Birliği (TTB) Merkez Konseyi Başkanı ve adli tıp uzmanı Prof. Dr. Şebnem Korur-Fincancı’nın “örgüt propagandası” suçlamasıyla yargılandığı davanın ikinci duruşması bugün İstanbul 24. Ağır Ceza Mahkemesi’nde görüldü.

Fincancı’nın avukatları hakkaniyetli ve objektif bir yargılama olmadığını söyleyerek mahkeme heyetini reddetti. Mahkeme da bu talebi reddederen, Fincancı’nın tutukluluk halinin devamına karar verdi.

Korur Fincancı, Ekim 2022’de Avrupa’da yayın yapan Kürt televizyonu Medya Haber’de TSK’nin Irak Kürdistan Bölgesi’nde yürüttüğü askeri operasyonlarda kimyasal silah kullanıldığı iddialarına ilişkin yayınlanan görüntüleri değerlendirmesinin ardından, önce sosyal medyada hedef gösterilmiş, ardından da tutuklanmıştı.

Fincancı’ya jandarma çemberi

Fincancı salona 7 jandarma eşliğinde getirildi; 5 jandarma duruşma boyunca Fincancı’nın etrafında çember oluşturdu.

80’in üzerinde avukat Fincancı’yı savunmak için hazır bulundu. Çok sayıda, hekim, hak savunucusu ve gazetecinin yanısıra, İsviçre ve AB delegasyonundan temsilciler, Almanya Başkonsolosu, HDP eşbaşkanı, HDP ve CHP’li milletvekileri de duruşmayı takip etti. Duruşmaya gelenler salona sığmadı.

Avukat Meriç Eyüboğlu, adil yargılanma hakkının korunabilmesi için duruşmanın daha büyük bir salona alınmasını talep etti. Batman Baro başkanı Erkan Şenses ise Fincancı’ya yönelik üç avukat sınırının hukuka aykırılık olduğunu ifade etti. Darbe girişimi sonrasında yasalaşan bu sınırlamanın, örgüt propagandası yargılaması için geçerli olmadığını ifade etti.

Savcılık, önceki duruşmadaki mütalaasını tekrar etti. Geçtiğimiz duruşma katılma talebi reddedilen Milli Savunma Bakanlığı avukatı, bu duruşmaya da gelerek talebini tekrar etti. Talebi bir kere daha reddedildi. Bakanlık avukatı, savunma avukatları arasında oturarak duruşmayı takip etti. Fincancı’nın avukatlarının bir kısmı kalabalıktan salona giremediği için bu duruma itiraz etti ancak hakim “salonda kimin bulunacağına kendisinin karar verdiğini” söyleyerek bu itirazı reddetti.

Fincancı: Akciğer hasarının nasıl bir propaganda etkisi olduğunu merak ediyorum

Avukatların usule ilişkin itirazlarının ardından Fincancı’nın beyanına geçildi. Fincancı, yaptığının suç değil, hekim ve yurttaşlık sorumluluğu olduğunu söylerken, “Tıbbi bir değerlendirmenin, nasıl olup da propaganda eylemi olarak yorumlandığını, akciğer hasarının nasıl bir propaganda etkisi olduğunu merak ediyorum” diye konuştu.

Kendisini hedef gösteren AKP yetkililerinden bahseden Fincancı, şöyle konuştu:

“Biz onlara bilimsel eleştiriler yaparken onlar bizi teröristlikle, vatan hainliğiyle ve daha çok yakışıksız ifadeyle suçladı.

“Ben teröristsem, hangi örgütten olduğumu merak ediyorum. Türkiye İnsan Halkları Vakfı mı? Filistinli Mahpuslar Derneği mi? İşkence Mağdurları için Uluslararası Rehabilitasyon Konseyi mi (IRTC)? Cumhurbaşkanı çıkıp benim hakkımda terörist diyebiliyor. Yargı mensupları nasıl ayrıksı düşünebilirler?

“Biz yeni yaşamlar filizlensin, yaşayanlar hayatlarını onurla devam ettirsin diye mücadele ediyoruz. Bunun da bir suç olduğunu düşünmüyorum ve beraat talep ediyorum.”

Avukatlar mahkeme heyetini reddetti

Fincancı’nın avukatları da hakimin duruşma salonunda sarfettiği bazı ifadeleri tekrar ederek, mahkemenin savcıyla birlikte talimat dahilinde hareket ettiği izlenimi uyandırdığını söyledi. “Bu mütalaada her şey hazırlanmış gibi, biz de burada küçük aktörler olarak beyanda bulunuyoruz.”

Fincancı’nın kimyasal silah iddiası karşısında etkili bir soruşturma istediği için yargılandığını tekrar eden avukatları, soruşturma süresinden bu yana devam eden hukuksuzluklar ve yürütülen karalama kampanyaları nedeniyle bu davanın objektif ve hakkaniyetli yürütüldüğüne inanmadıklarını söyledi. “Biz bugün buraya ceza vereceğinizi öngörerek geldik” diyen Avukat Eyüboğlu, bu nedenlerle mahkeme heyetini reddettiklerini beyan etti.

Reddi hakim talebinin ardından duruşmaya 20 dakika ara verildi.

Aranın ardından, mahkeme başkanı reddi hakim talebini “süresinde yapılmadığı ve duruşmayı uzatmak için yapıldığı gerekçesiyle” reddetti.

Fincancı’nın tutukluluk halinin devamına karar verildi. Bir sonraki duruşma 11 Ocak 2023’te. Bu duruşmayı takip eden PEN Norveç, 11 Ocak 2023’te de duruşma salonunda hazır bulunacak.

23-12-22

Judicial harassment of Prof. Dr. Fincancı must stop!

Continuing Detenetion for Prof. Dr. Fincancı at today’s first hearing

The trial against Prof. Dr. Şebnem Korur-Fincancı, the President of the Turkish Medical Association (TBB) and a forensic medicine expert, began today at the 24th High Criminal Court of Istanbul in which she is charged with “making propaganda for a terrorist organization”.

Many observers, politicians, medical doctors and rights defenders were present to observe the first hearing. Korur Fincancı was greeted with applause as she entered the courtroom.

Following a hearing that lasted approximately 5 hours, the court ruled to continue Korur Fincancı’s detention. The next hearing will be held on April 29, 2022 at 10:30.

Following her comments on the images regarding the alleged use of chemical weapons in military operations carried out by the Turkish Armed Forces in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, which were aired in October 2022 by the Kurdish television Medya Haber based in Europe, Korur Fincancı was first targeted on social media and then arrested.

Court allowed defence team only three lawyers

To demonstrate their solidarity with Korur Fincancı, present at the courthouse were many rights defenders, medical doctors, heads of medical chambers, HDP and CHP deputies, representatives of various civil society organizations and political parties, heads of bar associations in Istanbul, Izmir, Van, Diyarbakir, representatives from the USA, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark and Austria consulates and international rights organizations.

To defend Korur Fincancı, more than 800 lawyers submitted their licence to the court. Referring to the post-military coup legislation which states that only three lawyers could defend the accused, the judge ruled that only three lawyers would be allowed to defend Korur Fincancı.

The hearing was delayed for a while and many people, including journalists, observers, medical doctors and heads of medical chambers were unable to fit into the small courtroom.

Lawyers demanded the hearing to be moved to a larger courtroom. Reminding that only three lawyers were allowed to make the defence, however, the judge said there was no need for the hearing to be taken to a larger hall.

Korur Fincancı was transferred to Istanbul in handcuffs

The military police in the courtroom built a human shield between Korur Fincancı and her lawyers. The lawyers’ objection on this matter was rejected.

When the president of the court addressed the accused as “sen” (“you”, in second person singular as opposed to second person plural, as in French “vous”, t.n.) the lawyers and the audience reacted. The presiding judge, in explaining his attitude, said that he was not a kind person.

The lawyer of the Ministry of National Defence, who was in the courtroom, requested to become a party in the case. This request was rejected by the court on the grounds that the Ministry was not harmed by the crime. Defence lawyers also reacted to this request.

After these tense exchanges, the hearing continued with Şebnem Korur Fincancı’s statement. Korur Fincancı, who was detained in Sincan prison in Ankara, said that she was brought to Istanbul for the hearing by a transfer vehicle and kept in handcuffs throughout a 5-hour journey. She stated that this situation was a violation of human rights and fair trial requirements.

Korur Fincancı: An independent investigation is necessary to give a diagnosis on the images

Korur Fincancı said that the principle of presumption of innocence has been violated since the very beginning, and that the arrest warrant for her was presented to the press before her lawyers. Referring to the indictment, Korur Fincancı explained that the prosecutor who prepared the indictment had insufficient knowledge of forensic medicine and she expanded upon the statement that was the subject of her trial.

“The medical evaluation I made on the symptoms visible in the video, which took me to the reasonable conclusion that ‘a toxic gas was obviously used’, is a ‘pre-diagnosis’. Because it is only possible to determine whether a prohibited weapon was used or not, after an examination is conducted at the scene of the incident, laboratory examinations are carried out of the samples taken and autopsies of the bodies are performed in the light of the Minnesota Protocol, the connection between the scene of the incident and the alleged incident is established, a chemical agent is detected, complete with effective documentation. Therefore, it is not possible to identify the culprits without an effective investigation.

“Therefore,” she continued, “the medical opinion I have stated in the program was but a preliminary diagnosis. A diagnosis requires an effective and independent investigation and documentation.”

Lawyers: No requirements were met during the investigation process

Then, lawyers Meriç Eyüboğlu, Gulan Çağın Kaleli and Hülya Yıldırım gave their statements. The lawyers explained that the statements subject to trial did not meet the requirements for the charge of “making propaganda for a terrorist organization” (Anti-Terorr Law Article 7/2). The lawyers claimed that their client was arrested after her statements that fall under academic and scientific expertise and freedom were targeted. They stated that no legal requirements were met during the investigation and prosecution process.

Eyüboğlu said, “My client said that the images appeared to give the impression of an involvement of a toxic agent, but also that independent committees should conduct an on-site examination of any deceased individuals to fully understand the matter. As she was talking about the need to conduct an on-site investigation, we cannot understand what our client is being accused of.”

Court: As it is understood that any judicial measure will be insufficient

Announcing his opinion after the lawyers, the prosecutor demanded that Korur Fincancı be penalized with the maximum penalty prescribed for the offense of “making propaganda for a terrorist organization”.

The lawyers took the floor against the prosecutor’s opinion and stated that there was no legal justification for the continuation of her detention.

Korur Fincancı said, “It is very difficult to be under arrest, but it is an invaluable blessing for a human rights defender. We have always been demanding for an examination into the prisons, which was never approved. Therefore, the fact that the state itself sent me to a prison is valuable.”

Claiming that the implementation of any judicial control measure would be insufficient, the judicial panel ruled to continue Korur Fincancı’s detention. The next hearing will be held on December 29, 2022 and Korur Fincancı will be held in Bakırköy Women’s Prison in Istanbul until that time.

PEN Norway will continue to monitor this outrageous, illegal targeting of our colleague and stand in solidarity with Prof. Korur Fincancı until she is cleared of all charges.

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An analysis of the indictment against Human Rights Defender Şebnem Korur Fincancı

PEN Norway’s Turkey Indictment Project continues with four new indictment reports researched and authored by four leading international human rights lawyers and academics in 2023.

Gezi’yi İzlemek

Monitoring Gezi