Court adjourns VICE reporters trial, says it forgot to have defendant statements translated

DENİZ TEKİN In the trial of Vice News reporters Jake Hanrahan and cameraman Philip Pendlebury - who stand terror related charges in a case that dates back to 2015 - the court adjourned the hearing to a later date on the grounds that a translation request had been forgotten. The 17th hearing of the trial against Vice News journalists Philip John Pendlebury and Jake Hanrahan, who were arrested in Diyarbakır in 2015 while filming a documentary about the events in districts such as Cizre, Silopi, Nusaybin, and Sur where curfews were imposed, and subsequently deported, was held on 22 June at the Diyarbakır 8. Criminal Court. Lawyers representing Pendlebury and Hanrahan, were present in the courtroom. The Presiding Judge stated that in the previous hearing held in November, it was decided to send a letter to the Ministry of Justice for the translation of the defendants' statements obtained through the courts in their respective countries, but the relevant court personnel forgot to send this letter to the Ministry of Justice. The prosecutor and defense attorney requested the rectification of the deficiencies in the case file. The Court decided to send a second letter to the International Law and Foreign Relations General Directorate of the Ministry of Justice for the translation of the deposition documents into Turkish. After the deficiencies in the case file are addressed, the Court decided to send the file to the prosecutor for the preparation of the opinion on the merits and adjourned the trial until November 14, 2023.

What happened?

Vice News, an American-based media company, sent its reporter Jake Hanrahan and cameraman Philip Pendlebury to Diyarbakır in 2015 to shoot a documentary about the events in districts such as Cizre, Silopi, Nusaybin, and Sur where curfews were imposed. They were arrested and subsequently deported. The translator Mohammed İsmael Rasool and their guide were also arrested in Diyarbakır while assisting the journalists during the documentary filming. The journalists and the translator, who were detained during a raid on the hotel where they were staying, were arrested on charges of "knowingly and willingly aiding an organization" while the guide was released pending trial. The journalists, who were sent to Adana Type-F Prison, were released and deported on September 3, 2015, following international reactions. The translator, Mohammed İsmael Rasool, was released during the hearing held on January 4, 2016. In the trial opened at the Diyarbakır 8th High Criminal Court, the defendants are charged with "being a member of a terror organization by knowingly and willingly aiding it," "violating the Law on the Prevention of Financing Terrorism," and "making propaganda for the organization." The defendants face prison sentences ranging from 15 to 67 years. The response to the deposition requested through a letter written for the defense statements of the journalists, who have been deported for six years, is awaited. The questions to be asked to the journalists through the deposition include "why did you take notes?" and "why did you film?"