Articles by IPS Communication Foundation – Bianet
Various journalists detained, released, on trial for allegedly insulting authorities in articles
(BIANET/IFEX) – Two journalists of “Söz” TV and newspaper in Diyarbakir, in south-eastern Turkey, have been put on trial on charges of insulting local authorities in print. In a separate case, the director of the local newspaper “Emirdag” in Afyonkarahisar, in central Anatolia, is being tried for insulting an officer on duty. In a third […]
Journalist faces criminal charges over article on soldiers’ complaints
(BIANET/IFEX) – The General Staff of the Turkish military has filed a criminal complaint against journalist Umur Talu of “Sabah” newspaper for “acting in an insulting and derisive manner aimed at undermining relations between junior and senior officers and destroying trust in superiors or commanders”. The complaint is based on an article by Talu published […]
Journalist on trial for allegedly insulting mayor, other officials, in satirical newspaper article
(BIANET/IFEX) – Yakup Önal, of the local newspaper “Sarköy’ün Sesi” (“The Voice of Sarköy”) in Sarköy, Tekirdag province, is on trial for allegedly “insulting” the Justice and Development Party (AKP) mayor and two members of the municipal council. The prosecution has demanded 10 years’ imprisonment for Önal for insulting Mayor Can Gürsoy and municipal council […]
Journalist convicted of “insulting” lawyer, faces possible imprisonment and compensation fees
(BIANET/IFEX) – Journalist Ayse Önal of the “Star” newspaper has been sentenced to three months imprisonment and payment of compensation to Kemal Kerincsiz, a lawyer with of the Great Lawyer’s Union, after he filed a suit against her. Her imprisonment has been converted into a fine. Önal has been sentenced to paying Kerincsiz compensation by […]
Three human rights activists receive prison sentences for criticising military operation, prison conditions
(BIANET/IFEX) – Three human rights activists of the Adana branch of the Human Rights Association (IHD) have been sentenced to two years and eight months’ imprisonment for criticising the “Return to Life” military operations of December 2000 and the prison conditions of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan. The IHD’s Istanbul branch has denounced the ruling. The […]
Historian receives death threat, is harassed by newspaper, for questioning official history
(BIANET/IFEX) – Prof. Dr. Taner Akcam of the history department at Minnesota University, who has consistently described in his work the events of 1915 a “genocide”, fears for his life since receiving death threats over e-mail. Researching the source of the threats, Akcam has found a person with the assumed name “Holdwater”. The “Hürriyet” newspaper […]
Supreme Court affirms earlier court decision to drop case against writer Orhan Pamuk for “degrading Turkishness”
(BIANET/IFEX) – The Supreme Court of Appeals has affirmed the decision of the Sisli 2nd Penal Court to drop the case against writer Orhan Pamuk. Pamuk was prosecuted at the Sisli 2nd Penal Court for “degrading Turkishness” (Article 301), over an interview given to the Swiss weekly “Das Magazin” in February 2005, in which he […]
Two journalists investigated under Article 301
(BIANET/IFEX) – Article 301 continues to haunt journalists in Turkey. Two “Radikal” newspaper journalists, Perihan Magden and Yildirim Türker, are under investigation for “degrading the state’s armed forces”. On 29 June 2007, prosecutor Ali Cakir in Bagcilar, Istanbul, who had conducted an investigation of Magden for an article entitled “State, you are painted all over […]