Elif Çetiner
Journalist Nadiye Gürbüz, who was arrested on World Press Freedom Day and subsequently released after spending five and a half months in prison, may face up to 22.5 years in prison at her second trial scheduled for February 27. Gürbüz, calling for increased support from press organizations and the public, emphasized that the indictment against her is based entirely on interpretations.
Nadiye Gürbüz, an editor at Etkin News Agency (ETHA), was detained during a raid on her home in the last days of April 2023. After four days of custody, she was arrested based on her articles and news stories published in ETHA. A decision on her sentence is expected at her upcoming trial on February 27.
Speaking to MLSA, Gürbüz recalled her arrest on May 3, World Press Freedom Day. She was arrested for alleged membership in an organization due to her work at ETHA and Atılım newspaper. She pointed out that the indictment is full of interpretations, sharing examples such as a phone conversation with an Atılım newspaper reader being used as evidence of her alleged organizational membership. She also mentioned that the participation in a tree-planting event and press release on the seventh anniversary of the Suruç massacre in Eskişehir and the government's closure and censorship decisions against both ETHA and Atılım were presented as evidence against her.
Gürbüz criticized the police, prosecution, and the court for attempting to declare ETHA and Atılım illegal, vowing not to allow it. She noted that although she was initially part of a collective trial with members of ESP and SGDF, individual trials were later initiated. Her case is being heard at the Istanbul 25th High Criminal Court.
She criticized the prosecutor for hastily submitting an opinion to the file just ten days before the second hearing, which she views as limiting their right to defense. The direction of the case suggests a verdict might be delivered on February 27, with a potential sentence ranging between 9 to 22.5 years.
Gürbüz also addressed attacks on journalists and the role of press organizations, stating that revolutionary, socialist, and Kurdish media have been under similar attack for years. She stressed the importance of understanding that these attacks will continue and emphasized the need for journalists, trade unions, workers, women, oppressed peoples, political parties, and professional organizations to unite in response. Gürbüz highlighted that the criminalization she's facing is not just against her, but against socialist media as a whole, urging solidarity from various sectors in society.
