Deniz Tekin
A Turkish court has once again refused to lift a travel ban on journalist Abdurrahman Gök, who spent 225 days in pre-trial detention over his reporting. “It’s very difficult for me to be out [of prison] and still unable to do my job,” Gök told the court during the latest hearing in his ongoing trial.
The eighth hearing in the case against Gök was held at the Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court in southeastern Turkey. Gök, who is the editor of the pro-Kurdish Mezopotamya News Agency, is facing charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” and “terrorist propaganda” over news reports published by the agency, social media posts, witness testimony, and even book promotions.
Gök and his legal team were present in court, along with numerous journalists and Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFG) Co-Chair Selman Çiçek, who observed the proceedings. The prosecution requested that the court address the remaining procedural deficiencies in the case file.
In his statement to the court, Gök once again requested the lifting of the international travel ban that has been imposed as a judicial control measure. “Sometimes I think to myself, if I were in prison, at least I’d know that I was behind four walls and couldn’t work because of that. But being outside and still unable to do my job is very difficult for me,” he said. “I want the travel ban lifted.”
His lawyer Mehmet Emin Aktar argued that the travel restriction was an excessive measure for a journalist, while lawyer Resul Temur noted that the appeal file is currently under review at the 3rd Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation, making the ongoing travel ban indefinite and legally ambiguous.
The prosecutor submitted an opinion in favor of continuing the judicial control measures. Gök, responding to the prosecution, reminded the court that he had attended every hearing in a previous trial on the same charges. “I have no intention of fleeing abroad,” he said. “I was born here, raised here, and practiced journalism here. I ask that my travel ban be lifted.”
The court ruled to maintain the international travel ban on Gök and ordered a copy of the ongoing investigation file to be requested from the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. It also decided to inquire about the status of the appeal currently being reviewed by the 3rd Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation. The next hearing is scheduled for Nov. 25.
