PEN Norway present at Istanbul’s courthouse to observe Ceren Sözeris hearing
On September 11, a PEN Norway delegation to Turkey attended Istanbul’s Çağlayan courthouse to monitor the trial of Evrensel-journalist Ceren Sözeri, who is on trial for a newspaper article in which she posed the question ‘Who made the AKP lose the local elections?’.
Sözeri’s trial, a civil compensation case in which a relative of the President is suing her and the newspaper for 200,000 Turkish Lira, has been ongoing for 5 years. The hearing on 11th September was cancelled due to the judge suffering a serious health setback and the case will be adjourned to a later date, either under the same judge or the appointment of a new judge to preside over the case will take place.
In his reaction to the case, PEN Norway’s General Secretary, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, said:
– It is disappointing to witness that such long-lasting trials against journalists are continuing to happen in Turkey. We are concerned that this led to the chilling effect in the country, and that the fines imposed on the individual journalists and on Evrensel newspaper in particular are another attempt to impede and stop the good work of independent newspapers in Turkey.
PEN Norway met Ceren Sözeri and her lawyers in the courthouse. Of the length of the trial and it’s affects upon her, Sözeri said:
– This was an unexpected delay in the trial due to a health issue of the judge, to whom we wish a good recovery. The extension of this case after five whole years is of course very wearing and is the kind of case that falls under the classification of public participation case known as a SLAPP case. How does this case affect me? It’s not a criminal case so there is not risk of me being given a jail sentence but the threat of the high fine associated with this case is always present and does have its effect. You live constantly with the fear of how this case will conclude, what the financial cost will be and how it will be met. This then add to the chilling effect upon me and other journalists. But I do try hard not to give in to the self-censorship that can result from this pressure. The point of this case, after all, is that those brining the case do not want you to write, they want you to stay away from certain topics and we are also constantly struggling with this. Tomorrow they could open a new case, so there’s no saying that things will even improve. Every journalist and writer expressing themselves in Turkey could become the subject of a case like this.”
Sözeris lawyer, Devrim Avci Ozkurt, said of the five-year judicial harassment:
– These lengthy trials and their adjournment are always a setback for our clients because the plaintiff in this case, Serhat Albayrak of Turkuvaz Media Group is suing my client for 200,000 Turkish lira and the longer the case goes on the higher this amount will go due to additional interest that the amount will incur. As many of the cases against the independent media in Turkey conclude not in their favour, this is also worrying. My client wrote about why the AKP did not win the local elections at the time and did not infringe or violate any single person’s rights or resort to insult. This is the 11th hearing in the case which has been going on now for 5 years, and we are worried that the longer it goes on, the greater are the chances that it will not conclude in our favour.
PEN Norway will continue to follow the trial when it resumes.
