Articles by IPS Communication Foundation – Bianet
Owner and editor of Turkish-Armenian newspaper face prison sentences for “attempting to influence the judiciary”; their lawyers reject biased court
(BIANET/IFEX) – Lawyers for the Turkish-Armenian “Agos” newspaper have demanded that the case against owner Serkis Seropyan and editor Aris Nalci be heard by a different court, arguing that the current one “cannot be independent and neutral” because two of its judges were involved in sentencing Seropyan and Arat Dink in a case under Article […]
Two “peace mothers” detained for several hours by police after trying to talk to press
(BIANET/IFEX) – Two “peace mothers” were taken into custody by police on 14 February 2008 after trying to make a press statement in Taksim. They were released six hours later, after activists called for their release. The Peace Mothers are a group of women opposed to the ongoing conflict between the Turkish Armed Forces and […]
Prime minister sues magazine over satirical illustration of him; previous lawsuits against four others struck down
(BIANET/IFEX) – The weekly satirical cartoon magazine “Leman” has again been targeted by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. On the front cover of its 6 February 2008 issue, the magazine had made fun of a recent remark by Erdogan. He had said, “We have not adopted the scholarship and science of the West, but only […]
Publisher sentenced to five months’ imprisonment for writing Kurdish-language petition, also on trial for publishing book
(BIANET/IFEX) – The Istanbul First Criminal Court of Peace has sentenced publisher Mehdi Tanrikulu of Tevn Publications to five months’ imprisonment because he wrote a petition in Kurdish complaining about a prosecutor in Diyarbakir, and because he spoke Kurdish at his trial. He will appeal the sentence. The court claims that Tanrikulu violated the Laws […]
Journalist released after two nights in jail for “insulting” former vice-governor of Mus province
(BIANET/IFEX) – A journalist sentenced to a jail term of one year and nine months for alleging the involvement of former Mus Vice-Governor Ibrahim Kücük in corruption, has been released after spending only two nights and a day in prison following a court review under the new Turkish Penal Code, which pronounced him not guilty. […]
State connections to murder of journalist Hrant Dink being ignored, warns BIANET; defamation case against Dink’s lawyer dismissed
(BIANET/IFEX) – There is continuing reluctance by the authorities to link the different trials in Trabzon, Samsun and Istanbul concerning the murder of journalist Hrant Dink. Senior police and gendarmerie officers are still not on trial. The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecution has decided that it lacks jurisdiction in the criminal complaints filed against Trabzon’s former […]
Media group sues nationalist newspaper for making two of its women journalists public targets of hatred
(BIANET/IFEX) – The Dogan media group is filing a suit against the nationalist “Halka ve Olaylara Tercüman” (“Interpreter of the People and Events”) newspaper for making two of its journalists, Perihan Magden and Ece Temelkuran, public targets of hatred. The media group’s lawyers filed a complaint with the Bakirköy Chief Public Prosecution on 7 February […]
Journalist Ibrahim Tig acquitted after five-year trial
(BIANET/IFEX) – After questioning the expenditures of a district governor in the Devrek district of Zonguldak, journalist Ibrahim Tig, who writes for “Bölge Haber” (“Regional News”), published in the same district, faced a five-year long trial before being acquitted on 30 January 2008. The journalist had been charged with insulting the Devrek district governor (kaymakam), […]