Location: Turkey, Diyarbakir
Date: June 24, 2021

Available in: 🇹🇷  Türkçe

The 13th hearing of the trial against journalist Kibriye Evren over her journalistic activities was held today in Diyarbakır. The journalist was sued over allegations of being a member of a terrorist organisation and spreading its propaganda. The court postponed the hearing again. The next hearing will be on November 11, 2021. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) reminds the Turkish authorities once again that journalism is not a crime. Journalist Kibriye must be acquitted of all charges she faces.

The 13th hearing of the trial against Jin News reporter Kibriye Evren over allegations of her journalistic activities and social media posts was held at Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court today. The court decided to seek approval from the Mersin 2nd High Criminal Court for Kibriye to be merged with the case filed in Mersin. Her hearing will be held on November 11, 2021. 

Today, the court stated that they requested the indictment of the case file against the journalist with the charge of "being a member of a terrorist organization" at Mersin 2nd High Criminal Court and that the file has been examined for consolidation. Stating that the accusation dates in the indictment are older than the charges in the case where the journalist is currently on trial, the judge ordered permission to the Mersin 2nd High Criminal Court to consolidate the case.

Lawyer Resul Tamur emphasized that the accusations against the journalist happened in the past, but in the Mersin, indictment was prepared after the trial in which Kibriye was tried in Diyarbakır, and demanded that the indictment be combined with the existing case. Lawyer Pirozhan Karali also asked the court to eliminate the missing elements of the case. The next hearing will be held on November 11, 2021. 

Kibriye Evren is facing up to 20 years sentence in prison over the charges of being a member of a terrorist organization and spreading terrorist propaganda due to her social media posts, travelling abroad and confidential witness statements. The journalist was arrested in Diyarbakır on October 9, 2018, and was released at the eighth hearing of the case filed against her. At the journalist's hearing on March 10, 2020, the judicial control requirement was lifted, but her travel ban remained.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the attempts to silence many women journalists through the judiciary in Turkey. We demand all journalists’ acquittal who faced groundless charges. Instead of judging journalists, we demand the Turkish state to allow them to work freely and to respect press freedom.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism closely monitors the incidents in Turkey with great concern. Since March 8, Women's Day, police violence against women journalists increasingly continues in the country. As the coalition, we urge the Turkish state to provide a free environment for journalists. Following the news is our most fundamental democratic right to report. We demand the immediate release of our detained colleagues. Journalism is not a crime. Journalism cannot be prevented.

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