Turkey

(RSF/IFEX) – With initial negotiations for eleven countries to join the European Union due to start on 12 and 13 December 1997, Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) wishes to express its concern about the press freedom situation in Turkey, one of the countries seeking EU membership. Although six Turkish editors have been released under the terms […]

(RSF/IFEX) – In a 27 November press release, RSF reports that on that date, the eleventh hearing in the trial of eleven police officers accused of the murder of Metin Goktepe was held before the case’s new judge, Mustafa Birisik. His predecessor, Kamil Serif, had asked to be taken off the trial. The court had […]

(RSF/IFEX) – On 24 November 1997, in the Altinbasak hotel in the town of Batman, in southeastern Turkey, police inspected the identification documents of Gunnar Kohne, a German reporter for the Swiss newspaper “Facts”, and United States photographer Mark Simon, and questioned them on the motives for their stay in the region. The journalists were […]

(RSF/IFEX) – Journalist and writer Cezmi Ersoz and journalist Filiz Kocali of the women’s weekly “Pazartesi” were among 150 people detained on 23 November when police broke up a demonstration in Istanbul. The demonstration was in support of Istanbul University students. The two were released that same evening. As well, at least three journalists were […]

(WiPC/IFEX) – On 9 November 1997, writer Esber Yagmurdereli was released provisionally for one year on health grounds. Nevertheless, the threat of re-imprisonment still hangs over him. **Updates IFEX alerts dated 23 October 1997, 19 December and 26 May 1995 (Esber Yagmurdereli); and 10 October, 30 September, 20 May and 19 March 1997 (Recep Marasli)** […]

(RSF/IFEX) – In a 6 November 1997 press release, RSF reports that, on 6 November, during the Afyon (western Turkey) Court of Assizes’ tenth hearing in the trial of eleven police officers accused of murdering journalist Metin Goktepe, Kamil Serif, the presiding judge of the panel hearing the case, asked to be taken off the […]

(WAN/IFEX) – A “human rights coordinating committee” charged with examining measures to “expand freedom of the press and freedom of expression” will report its findings to the Turkish Cabinet “by December”, a delegation from the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) was informed in Ankara on 5 November 1997. Mr Sukru Sina Gurel, Minister of State […]

(RSF/IFEX) – On the evening of 4 November 1997, an anti-terrorist police brigade arrested Mehmetcan Toprak, director of programming at Radyo Karacadag, and Vedat Bakir, another manager at the station, following their coverage of the arrest of several individuals at the Sin a Sanliurfa bookstore. At around 12:30 am, police entered the offices of the […]

(RSF/IFEX) – On the evening of 4 November 1997, an anti-terrorist police brigade arrested Mehmetcan Toprak, director of programming at Radyo Karacadag, and Vedat Bakir, another manager at the station, following their coverage of the arrest of several individuals at the Sin a Sanliurfa bookstore. At around 12:30 am, police entered the offices of the […]

(WiPC/IFEX) – On 19 October 1997, playwright and lawyer Esber Yagmurdereli was arrested at his home in Istanbul by the Istanbul Security Directorate Public Order Department. He was taken to the Department’s offices in Gayrettepe, Istanbul where he was held for two days before eventually being transferred on 21 October to a prison in Cankiri. […]

(WiPC/IFEX) – The trial hearing against publisher and poet Recep Marasli, accused of membership in a pro-Kurdish organisation (see IFEX alerts), was held on 2 October 1997 at the Ankara State Security Court. During this hearing, defence lawyers pointed out that Marasli was being tried for the same charges by another court in Istanbul and […]

(RSF/IFEX) – On 9 October 1997, the ninth hearing in the trial of eleven police officers charged in the murder of journalist Metin Goktepe took place in their presence in the Afyon Court of Assizes, in western Turkey. Three witnesses for the prosecution, Deniz Ozcan, Ali Ekber Palabiyik et Hayati Gungoren, attended the hearing. **Updates […]

(WiPC/IFEX) – On 2 October 1997, the next hearing of Recep Marasli’s case will be held at the Ankara State Security Court. Marasli, a publisher and poet, remains in pre-trial detention, despite urgent requests from doctors in Turkey, as well as from national and international human rights groups, that Marasli be freed to receive medical […]

(RSF/IFEX) – On 24 September 1997, four men with walkie-talkies entered the office of the leftist daily “Gunluk Emek” in Dyarbakir, searched the premises and threatened a reporter present, saying, “Be careful. If an article about Dyarbakir is published in the newspaper, bad things will happen to you.” The four men seized some documents before […]

(RSF/IFEX) – In a 15 September 1997 press release, RSF reported that, after the eighth hearing in the trial of eleven police officers accused of murdering journalist Metin Goktepe, four of the officers — Fadai Korkmaz, Murat Polat, Burhan Koc and Metin Kusat — were released pending a verdict in the case. Five are still […]

(RSF/IFEX) – On 27 August 1997, Adil Harmanci, a journalist with the daily “Olkede Gundem”, was threatened with death by Saban Kahraman, head of village security, a civil authority instituted by the army. Kahraman also specifically let it be known to Harmanci’s neighbours in the Sabaniye quarter of Van, in eastern Turkey, that the journalist […]