MLSA- The Izmir Journalists Society (İGC) has issued a statement demanding the release of Süleyman Gençel, the arrested Editor-in-Chief of A3 News.
Journalist Süleyman Gençel was arrested following the affirmation by the Court of Cassation of a 1-year and 2-month sentence given to him in a case filed by former AKP Member of Parliament and Dokuz Eylül University Rector Nükhet Hotar. Gençel was taken into custody in the early hours of the morning and was later arrested after appearing before a judge on February 2.
İGC on 5 February called for the release of Gençel in a statement it made in front of the Hasan Tahsin statue in Konak, with numerous journalists and professional organizations in attendance.
İGC President Dilek Gappi demanded the release of journalist Süleyman Gençel, who she said was unjustly detained.
Highlighting that journalists are detained and arrested simply for reporting the truth, Gappi continued:
"There is a mistake here. You've arrested the wrong person. While the leader of a notorious criminal organization says 'they hired me to kill Süleyman Gençel,' why aren't you questioning the instigator? And on top of that, you arrest a journalist for alleged insult. Is this some kind of joke with the whole of Turkey? Dark minds that recklessly use public resources attack everywhere to hide their dirty games."
Asserting that journalists committed to following press ethics will fight until Turkey is a country where truth-telling journalists are not thrown into jail, Gappi concluded her statement by calling for the immediate release of Süleyman Gençel.
Background of Gençel's arrest
