Journalists in prison for 35 for no reason: Prosecutor's on leave, objection not processed

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  • 12:30 2 December 2022
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ANKARA - In the Ankara-based investigation, it was revealed that the objection against the arrest of 9 journalists was not processed on the grounds that the prosecutor was on leave.
 
Mezopotamya Agency (MA) Editor-in-Chief Diren Yurtsever, reporters Berivan Altan, Ceylan Şahinli, Deniz Nazlım, Emrullah Acar, Selman Güzelyüz and Hakan Yalçın, and JINNEWS reporters Habibe Eren and Öznur Değer have been detained for 35 days due to their professional activities. 9 journalists who were detained under torture as part of the investigation carried out by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and arrested by the court on October 29, were not indicted, and many unlawful actions were taken in the file in the course of time.
 
VERBAL NOTICE TO LAWYERS
 
It turned out that the objection made by the lawyers against the arrest was not processed on the grounds that the prosecutor was on leave and the file was not sent to the Criminal Court of Peace. The said unlawfulness was communicated to the lawyers via verbal notice.
 
REVIEW OF DETENTION ON DAY 20
 
Before the objections to the detention of journalists were sent to the Criminal Court of First Instance, monthly detention reviews were carried out without informing their lawyers. It was also noteworthy that the monthly reveiw was carried out by the judgeship, which issued the arrest warrant itself.
 
ANKARA IS THE NEW POINT ZERO 
 
Evaluating the unlawfulnesses in th e file, attorney Resul Temur said: "The fact that only anonymous witnesses were heard in Ankara does not lead to the conclusion that Ankara is the authorized place for the file. The fact that the operation was carried out in Ankara and that cases related to all kinds of Kurdish politics began to be centralized in Ankara shows that a new trial practice has been established. The aim is not to judge, but to punish in a way that renders the press inoperable. There is no other reason why the investigation against the Kurdish press is based in Ankara.
 
THE ARREST WAS NOT LEFT TO CHANCE
 
Noting that, in addition to carrying out the review in the absance of lawyers, the fact that it was done by the judgeship that decided the arrest of the journalists was not a coincidence, attorney Temur said: “Even the fact that the detention review is done by the same judgeship shows that the detention does not have a legal purpose and that the evaluation of detention is therefore not left to chance. The lawyers were verbally informed that the objection was not processed because the prosecutor is on leave and the file was not yet sent to Criminal Judgeship of Peace. This alone shows the arbitrary attitude of the judiciary."
 
MA / Zemo Ağgöz