Canan Coşkun, İstanbul - Mehmet Gündem returned to pre-trial detention today, having already been imprisoned for a year, after an İstanbul court chose to adjourn his second hearing and await the completion of reports relating to digital material possessed by Gündem.
Gündem is a well-known Turkish author and journalist. He has previously worked for the Zaman, Tercüman, Milliyet and Yeni Şafak newspapers. He has recently focused on biographical work, and notably published an interview in Milliyet titled “11 Days with Fethullah Gülen” in 2005. Gülen has since been accused of organizing the July 15 coup attempt.
Gündem faces criminal charges over his alleged membership in a terrorist organization. The case revolves around Gündem’s prior position as an executive member on the board of the Journalists and Writers Foundation, although prosecutors have also raised concerns over his connection to the daily newspaper Zaman, which he worked for in 1999.
The prosecution alleged that the Journalists and Writers Foundation was linked to Gulen’s FETÖ movement. The prosecution pointed to the election of Gülen as honorary president of the Foundation.
Gündem’s hearing had been scheduled to start at 11:20 in İstanbul 35th High Criminal Court. After a three and a half hour delay Adem Aygün, the presiding judge, opened the hearing by noting that an expert was in the process of reviewing digital material obtained from and about Gündem and that some information had not yet been submitted to the court.
Aygün then put on the record that some of the information which has become available was delivered to the İstanbul Public Prosecutor’s Office as the Anti Cybercrime Department requested. The prosecution requested time to process the new material and for Gündem to remain in detention while that occurred.
Gündem was subsequently given an opportunity to present his defense. He began by noting that while the bulk of the prosecution’s evidence (mainly digital materials and phone records) is ten years old, the prosecution appears to be suggesting that his contact with certain individuals was much more recent. He went on to deny the prosecution’s allegation that he transferred money via Bank Asia or sent messages via secure messaging application ByLock.
Gündem’s lawyer Ömer Faik Çetiner then took over the defense by noting that his client was only on the board of the Foundation for 6 months. “My client was not in an active position in the Foundation. The indictment claims that the Foundation was known to be linked with FETÖ around the years 2014 and 2015, however the Foundation was shut down after the 15 July coup attempt. Therefore working for this Foundation does not constitute a crime. My client is not linked with the organization.” Çetiner went on to argue that “My client’s signature was not under the decision that elected Gülen as an honorary president”. Çetiner concluded by noting that while Gündem had worked for Zaman, it was so long ago that his involvement is practically irrelevant.
Judge Aygün then asked Gündem about the digital materials that were seized. Gündem explained that the documents in question were related to a biography that he was writing about the Kavurmacı family.
The court chose to accept the prosecution’s request that Gündem remain in detention and adjourned the hearing until 8 January 2019 so that the review of digital materials could be completed.
Updated: November 28 2018
