AZIZ ORUÇ
Ertan Çıta, a reporter for Yeni Demokrasi Newspaper, who was detained for approximately 120 days before being released by an interim court decision, stated that even the news about his detention was questioned as if it were a crime during his prosecution.
Çıta, a reporter for Yeni Demokrasi Newspaper, was arrested on October 5, 2023, following house raids in Dersim, on allegations of "membership in an organization" and "providing financial support to an organization." He was released during an interim hearing on January 26, after about 120 days in detention.
Çıta, now released, spoke to the Media and Law Studies Association about his experience.
Released, but the case file remains 'confidential'
Detailing his arrest during a house raid on October 3, 2023, Çıta said:
"My phone, computer, and notebooks were seized. I had already been detained in May and then released. The same case was sent to Dersim. The Dersim prosecutor's office reopened the same investigation, leading to our detention through house raids. I was detained for 3 days, and the case file was confidential. Since I was released at the interim hearing, this 'confidentiality' continues, and I still don’t know the charges against me. There’s still no indictment, so I can't predict the outcome.
Visiting the prison, participating in the May 1st events, attending the 1938 Dersim Massacre memorial, covering these events, and working for Yeni Demokrasi Newspaper were all considered criminal evidence. President Tayyip Erdoğan apologized to the people of Dersim for the 1938 massacre. However, my reporting on this memorial as a journalist was deemed a crime.
In prison, there was nothing but a bed and water. There's this imposition to be 'partial' or 'impartial.' In other words, you're expected to abandon your entire identity, your political beliefs, and live as 'impartial' or 'non-problematic.' After the temporary ward, I was taken to solitary cells. Despite declaring myself as political and 'partial,' I was placed among regular criminals and informants. Only after a week of petitions and appeals was I moved to a three-person cell with other political prisoners.
Prisons are filled with rights violations. For example, there's a book quota; we can only get 7 books every two months, subject to the arbitrary decisions of the prison administration; books not aligning with their views aren't allowed. The same goes for letters; many from other prisons are seized or censored. Cells are ransacked and pillaged twice a month under the guise of searches. A beanie sent to me by mail wasn't given by the prison authorities. Their excuse was that I could use it for a protest. Despite having the right to three visitors, all were blocked after security investigations under the pretext of 'they are under investigation.'"
