In a trial concerning journalists Yıldız Tar, Deniz Nazlım, and Sibel Yükler, who were beaten and detained for allegedly participating in an "illegal action" to protest the arrest of 16 journalists in Diyarbakır, the Ankara Governor's Office reported that, contrary to the indictment and the summary prepared by the police, there was no ban decision regarding the press statement.
After the attempted press statement in Ankara on July 5, 2022, to show solidarity with journalists arrested in Diyarbakır was obstructed, leading to the beating and detention of the journalists, it emerged that there was no ban decision from the Ankara Governor's Office regarding this statement.
In the trial, where the journalists were accused of "opposing the Law No. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstration Marches" and allegedly causing police to assault them, a letter requested by the 71st Civil Court of First Instance in Ankara from the governorship, following a request from MLSA Co-Director Veysel Ok, was added to the case file.
During the trial's first hearing on January 9, the court had written to the governorship to inquire if there was any ban on the press statement planned under the title "Gathering for 16 Detained Journalists."
Police: Illegal action
The indictment, prepared based on a police summary, had claimed that information was obtained about an illegal action to be conducted through social media posts calling for the press statement. The indictment also noted that the journalists were detained for participating in an "illegal statement" and "hindering the normal flow of life."
Governor's Office: No ban decision from our office
However, in the letter from the governorship to the court, it was conveyed that there was no ban decision regarding the press statement.
The letter from the governorship stated: "Upon examining the indictment documents, as of the date July 5, 2022, there was no ban decision issued by our office regarding the press statement event titled 'Gathering for 16 Detained Journalists' at the Ulus Atatürk Monument."
Despite the medical reports of assault related to the detention of the three journalists, a decision of non-prosecution was made against the police officers involved in the incident. Following this, the MLSA Legal Unit filed an application to the Constitutional Court regarding the violated rights of the journalists. The latest letter from the governorship will also be added to the Constitutional Court application file.
The first hearing of the case was postponed to April 25, with a decision to write to the Ankara Governor's Office and to include uninterrupted camera footage from that day in the case file.
