- A court in Istanbul acquitted five defendants, including four journalists, of violating Turkey’s Law No. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations in a case stemming from an attempted press statement commemorating two journalists killed in Syria.
- The court, however, sentenced university student Yağmur Filiz to a judicial fine of 35,400 Turkish lira ($1,100) on charges of “insulting a public official.”
The case involved journalists Mahsum Sağlam, Pelin Laçin, Yadigar Aygün, and Zeynep Kuray — whose defense was undertaken by the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA) — as well as university student Yağmur Filiz. They were prosecuted for attending a planned press statement in Şişhane, a central district in Istanbul, to commemorate journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin, who were killed in Syria.
The hearing was held at Istanbul’s 39th Criminal Court of First Instance. Representatives from Amnesty International Germany also monitored the hearing.
Journalist Yadigar Aygün, who attended the hearing, said she agreed with the prosecutor’s opinion on the merits of the case and added, “I was doing journalism, and journalism is not a crime.”
Didare Hazal Sümeli from the MLSA legal unit said they agreed with the prosecutor’s recommendation for acquittal and added that the case constituted a violation of the rights to freedom of assembly and freedom of expression.
Gülizar Tuncer, the lawyer for journalist Pelin Laçin, began her defense statement by commemorating the slain journalists and lawyers. Tuncer said the case represented a violation of the right to assembly and demonstration as well as freedom of expression.
Tuncer also said no action had been taken against police officers accused of mistreating journalists who had gathered to commemorate the slain reporters. Agreeing with the prosecutor’s opinion in favor of acquittal, she said the rights violations that occurred during the incident should also be placed on record.
The court acquitted all defendants of the charge of “violating Law No. 2911.” It also sentenced Yağmur Filiz to a judicial fine of 35,400 lira for “insult,” with the right to appeal.
What happened?
Journalists Zeynep Kuray, Mahsum Sağlam, Pelin Laçin, and Yadigar Aygün, along with university student Yağmur Filiz, had been on trial for attending a planned press statement in Şişhane for journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin, who were killed in Syria.
The defendants said they were detained before the press statement even began and were subjected to reverse handcuffing, beatings, and ill-treatment while in custody. Yağmur Filiz added that one of the police officers who detained her said, “Yes, I am torturing you, and I am proud of it.”
The journalists and their lawyers had argued that their right to protest had been obstructed and demanded acquittal.
