
News of arrested journalists considered as evidence of crime

2019-11-20 12:14:12


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	İZMİR - Our reporter Melike Aydın and Mesopotamia Agency reporter Ruken Demir were arrested on November 16, and their news concerning the hunger strike and protests regarding the Ida Mountains were reported as evidence of crime.&nbsp;

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	The reporter Melike Aydın and Mesopotamia Agency reporter Ruken Demir, who were detained after their houses were raided on November &nbsp;16 within the scope of the investigation carried out by İzmir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, were arrested on November 16 &nbsp;for ”acting on behalf of the organization”. The news of the journalists in question were considered as evidence of crime by İzmir 1st Magistrate Criminal Court.

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	The demonstration for the murdered woman was considered as ‘‘defamation of the state ’’

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	Among the questions asked to Melike, the court claimed that the phone call they made with the members of the Çiğli Women's Platform was ‘’ordered by the organization’’, and the court also talked about the man who murdered his divorced wife Habibe Çevik and her sister Fatma Akdağ, after leaving the Menemen Open Prison on June 20 for a day- off. &nbsp;The Court said ‘’The Çiğli Women's Platform, which acts under the name of the organization, has tried to defame the state with the pretext of deaths of women.’’

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	Association teaching Kurdish language classes was also targeted

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	The Court also pointed to Melike’s new about Avesta Language and Culture Research Association in Izmir by claiming: "it’s an association which tries to show the so-called Kurdish language as the so-called Kurdistan’s official language and aims to spread this mentality throughout the country ".

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	The Court asked to Melike who was using the telephone line registered in the name of her sibling, assuming she was using the line registered to her sibling's name not to be deciphered. The Court also questioned where her livelihood comes from.&nbsp;

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	The court described Ruken's interview with the families and expressing their concern for the people who were on hunger strike in prison as ‘’defamation of the state.’’

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	One of the common accusations against both journalists was the stories about the protests for Mountain Ida which was sold to a Canadian Company for gold mining. &nbsp;It was claimed that the journalists were instructed to make fiction news in order to initiate a similar attempt to the Gezi Protests and their interviews with environment defenders were considered to be crimes.

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	&nbsp;Zafer İncin, attorney of both of the journalists who are currently held at Aliağa Şakran Women's Closed Prison, stated that he will make the necessary objections for the unjust and unlawful detention of journalists due to their professional activities to overturn the decision.

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