During a visit from lawyer Fatih Aydın, imprisoned journalists Abdurrahman Gök and Mehmet Şah Oruç say their ability to communicate is being severely constrained by the Diyarbakır Prision Administraiton and call on fellow journalists for consistent reporting on their status
KEREM YILDIZ
Abdurrahman Gök, an editor with the Mezopotamya Agency (MA), and reporter Mehmet Şah Oruç were arrested and incarcerated following an operation into 216 Kurdish individuals including activists, lawyers, journalists and politicians on April 25, instigated by the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, ahead of the Presidential elections in Turkey.
The two journalists said that their rights, including access to information and communication, have been greatly limited by the prison administration in violation of the law. They also called on fellow journalists to report regularly on jailed journalists.
On July 12, 2023, Fatih Aydın from MLSA Legal Unit visited Gök and Oruç in Diyarbakır Prison. The journalists reported arbitrary limitations placed on their rights, including communication, access to information, meetings, and shared spaces.
No newspapers or magazines provided, letters confiscated
Gök stated during the meeting that non-government aligned newspapers such as Evrensel, BirGün, and Yeni Yaşam are not allowed into the prison.
In addition to the struggle to access print publications, Gök said that only pro-government media channels are accessible on the TV, saying only limited radio stations are accessible:"We are experiencing an information blackout,"he said.
Gök also said that a letter he had sent to Journalist Hüseyin Aykol was seized as it made reference to newly arrived inmates in Diyarbakır Prison who had been tortured and to Kemal Kurkut, a 23-year old university student killed by Turkish police officers during the Newroz festivities in Diyarbakır in 2017. Kurkut’s last moments were filmed by Gök, who had to face another trial and imprisonment for his coverage.
The journalist added that it takes almost a month for letters from within the same prison or nearby women's prison to reach him. While the prison conditions are tough, Gök believes they provide an insightful view into the workings of the state.
Visitation restrictions
Gök shared that their right to shared spaces in the prison has been arbitrarily decreased from the legally allowed ten hours to just three hours, citing security concerns and staff shortages. He also mentioned that books sent to them are often held up by a committee for a month.
Gök's said his diary was seized without explanation or record during a ward search on June 16. Only after lodging appeals was he able to reclaim it on July 6.
Astronomical prices in prison cafeteria
Despite the summer heat, Gök said that inmates are only permitted to use handheld fans. Regular fans with wire parts are prohibited due to security risks.
He also said that water-operated air conditioners, brought in by prisoners from the recently closed Diyarbakır Type D Prison, were seized by the Prison Administration and kept in storage.
Gök also highlighted the frequent and steep price hikes of canteen goods, making it difficult for poorer prisoners to meet basic needs.
Gök, who is due to stand trial in September, urged independent media outlets to regularly report on the situation of journalists in jail.
Mehmet Şah Oruç: 'This is an attempt to manufacture crime'
Journalistg Mehmet Şah Oruç stated that their arrests are part of an effort to criminalize Kurdish journalism.
Oruç said the questions he was asked during his detention and arrest processes focused solely on his professional activities. His indictment was submitted, but later dismissed by a Diyarbakır Court and sent to Bitlis. He stated that his indictment hasn't been accepted yet.
Oruç claimed all these measures are merely attempts to fabricate a crime.
Despite the pressure, he vowed not to cease their efforts, promising to continue producing free and independent journalism.
Background
MA Editor Abdurrahman Gök and Mehmet Şah Oruç were detained and subsequently imprisoned on allegations of being members of a terrorist organization, as part of an operation targeting 216 individuals in April.
In the investigation conducted by the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, the files of the suspects in the operation were later separated.
In June, the 5th High Criminal Court of Diyarbakır accepted a 14-page indictment against Abdurrahman Gök on charges of "being a member of an organization" and "propagandizing for the organization". Gök is set to stand trial in September.
The indictment against journalist Mehmet Şah Oruç, prepared by the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, was sent to Bitlis by the 4th High Criminal Court of Diyarbakır in June due to lack of jurisdiction. The Bitlis High Criminal Court has yet to accept the indictment.
