(RSF/IFEX) – The following is an RSF report: Violations of press freedom in Turkey July 2000 Three journalists prosecuted On 11 July, Servet Ünsal, owner of the regional radio station Ekin Radyo, and Askin Palali, the station’s news director, were heard by the court of Ankara. They are accused of having “insulted through the press” […]
(RSF/IFEX) – The following is an RSF report:
Violations of press freedom in Turkey
July 2000
Three journalists prosecuted
On 11 July, Servet Ünsal, owner of the regional radio station Ekin Radyo, and Askin Palali, the station’s news director, were heard by the court of Ankara. They are accused of
having “insulted through the press” the Minister of Justice, by suggesting in an ironic tone that he “suffered from prostate problems.”
On 21 July, Ahmet Coban, editor in chief of the newspaper “Açik Sayfa” and lawyer, appeared before a court in Istanbul. Accused of “insults and mockery of a court”, he
risks a sentence of one to six years in prison. In February 2000, as part of an investigation into the “corruption of judicial power”, his newspaper published an ironic article entitled “There is no corruption in the justice system”, produced with a contribution from the bar of Istanbul. According to this investigation, a large majority of the courts are affected by corruption. The judge is contemplating charging the article’s author, Adnin Ekinci. The next hearing is set for 13 September.
Eight journalists detained
On 8 July, Yasemin Varlik, reporter for the daily “Sabah”, was detained in the Okmeydani neighbourhood while she was covering the funeral of a former political prisoner. The journalist was released a few hours later.
On 19 July, Kemal Önder, reporter for the daily “Star”, Murat Akan, reporter for the press agency “Cihan”, and Mühacit Akagündüz, cameraman for the same agency, were detained by police in front of the court house in Bakirköy (Istanbul) while they were covering the arrival of two defendants accused of rape. Taken to the police station, they were released shortly thereafter.
On 29 July, Esen Isil, Durul Gür, Celal Cimen and Özgür Gülbir, reporters with the production house “Case production”, were detained by police with twenty-two other people inside the Mesopotamia Cultural Centre in Istanbul. The four journalists were producing a report on the city of Istanbul for the Franco-German television station Arte. Taken to the department of security in Istanbul at the end of the afternoon, the journalists were held until 7 p.m. No explanation was provided by the authorities.
Five media outlets suspended
On 5 July, the audiovisual council (RTÜK) ordered a one-year suspension, starting on 31 July, of Özgür Radyo, an Istanbul radio station. It charged the station with having cited a verse by a Turkish poet, Ataol Behramoglu, during a show broadcast on 1 May: “The dying men are multiplying / I exhaust myself by killing them / We prepare ourselves for the bloody combat / Our flag of socialism ahead / Raise the flag / Even higher.” The radio station is accused of “inciting violence and hatred” according to Article 4 of Law 3984. The poet Ataol Behramoglu contested this decision, explaining that “this verse, written thirty years ago, appears in all the new editions of my books.”
On 12 July, Kral TV, Show TV and InterStar, three national television stations, were suspended for a day on a decision of RTÜK. The three stations are accused of “undermining general morale, the tranquillity of society and family values” for having broadcast and spoken at length about a saucy song.
On 27 July, InterStar was suspended for a day by the RTÜK, for shows broadcast on 22 and 23 April in which a model undressed.
On 27 July, the radio station Izmir Demokrat Radyo was suspended for a year, starting on 28 March 2001, on a decision by the RTÜK. The station is accused of “inciting violence,
terror, ethnic discrimination and hatred” for broadcasting a song by the extreme left group
Yorum on 8 March.
Since 1 January, the RTÜK has imposed 3,288 days of suspension on 22 radio and 26 television stations. For the month of July, it ordered 924 days of suspension.
Media seized
On 22 July, an edition of the pro-Kurd weekly “Roja Teze” was seized on order of the public prosecutor of the State Security Court of Istanbul for “propaganda of a terrorist organisation” and “separatist propaganda”. On 21 July, the newspaper published three articles that mentioned the Kurdish question.
In addition, RSF continues to call for the immediate and unconditional release of journalists Yalçin Küçük of the left-wing weekly “Hepileri”, arrested on 29 October 1998, and Hasan Özgün of the extreme-left daily “Özgür Gündem”, arrested on 9 December 1993.
The organisation demands a fair and equitable trial for journalists Asiye Zeybek Güzel of the extreme-left weeklies “Isçinin Yolu” and “Atilim”, arrested on 22 February 1997, and Nureddin Sirin of the Islamist weekly “Selam”, arrested on 6 February 1997.
