Turkey: International groups condemn attack against journalist Sinan Aygül

ECPMF

20 June 2023

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Available in Turkish below.

 

The undersigned media freedom, freedom of expression and human rights organizations strongly condemn the appalling attack on journalist Sinan Aygül that took place in Tatvan, a city in eastern Turkey, on June 17. Two people were arrested the following day charged with ‘intentional injury with a weapon’.

 

While we welcome the swift arrests, we call upon the authorities to thoroughly investigate this crime and ensure that all those responsible, including others who may have been behind the attack, are held fully accountable.

 

On June 17, Aygül, who is also the chairperson of the Bitlis Association of Journalists, wrote on Twitter that security guards employed by the mayor of Tatvan, Mehmet Emin Geylani, physically attacked him in the middle of the street. He said the security personnel arrived in a municipality-owned vehicle and were carrying firearms. As the assailants assaulted Aygül, they issued a death threat, warning him against reporting information about the mayor. Aygül was hospitalized as a result of his injuries. 

 

Two days before the assault, in a Twitter post, Aygül had raised allegations of irregularities in the public tender for property sales involving the Tatvan Municipality and its mayor, and called for its cancellation.

 

Aygül has been targeted many times for his critical reporting, subjected to death threats and legal harassment. To date, 137 criminal investigations have been launched against him in connection with his journalism. On January 19, 2023, Aygül was detained on accusations of insulting Vahit Kiler, a member of parliament from the ruling AKP, for reporting on corruption allegations involving Kiler. Aygül was released the next day after an initial interrogation.

 

In February 2023, he was the first journalist to be charged under Turkey’s new “disinformation law” passed by the Turkish parliament last October. The court sentenced him to 10 months in prison, a verdict which Aygül is now appealing to the Supreme Court after his initial appeal was turned down by a regional Court of Appeal.

 

“We stand in solidarity with Aygül and all other journalists who face threats and attacks for their reporting. The authorities must ensure that journalists are able to do their jobs freely and safely, and that the perpetrators, including others who may have been behind the attack, are brought to justice.”

 

IPI submitted an alert on the Council of Europe Safety of Journalists Platform on this incident.

 

Signed by

  • Amnesty International Turkey
  • ARTICLE 19
  • Association of European Journalists (AEJ)
  • Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ)
  • English PEN
  • European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)
  • European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)
  • IFEX
  • International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
  • International Press Institute (IPI)
  • Journalists Union of Turkey (TGS)
  • Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA)
  • OBC Transeuropa (OBCT)
  • PEN International 
  • PEN Norway
  • Platform for Independent Journalism (P24)
  • SafeJournalists Network
  • South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO)
  • Swedish PEN
  • Turkish Litigation Support Project (TLSP)
This statement was coordinated by IPI as part of its #FreeTurkeyJournalists campaign and member of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), a Europe-wide mechanism which tracks, monitors and responds to violations of press and media freedom in EU Member States and candidate countries.

Türkiye: Uluslararası kuruluşlar gazeteci Sinan Aygül’e yönelik saldırıyı kınıyor

Aşağıda imzası bulunan basın özgürlüğü, ifade hürriyeti ve insan hakları kuruluşları, 17 Haziran 2023 tarihinde Bitlis’in Tatvan ilçesinde gazeteci Sinan Aygül’ü hedef alan korkunç saldırıyı şiddetle kınamaktadır. Saldırıdan sonraki gün iki kişi ‘silahla kasten yaralama’ suçlamasıyla tutuklanmıştır.

 

Saldırının ardından hızla gerçekleştirilen tutuklamaları memnuniyetle karşılıyor, bununla birlikte yetkilileri kapsamlı bir soruşturma yürütmeye ve saldırının arkasında olabilecekler de dahil olmak üzere tüm sorumluların hesap vermesini sağlamaya çağırıyoruz.

 

Bitlis Gazeteciler Cemiyeti Başkanı olan Aygül, 17 Haziran’da Twitter‘da Tatvan Belediye Başkanı Mehmet Emin Geylani’nin korumalarının sokak ortasında kendisine fiziksel saldırıda bulunduğunu duyurdu. Aygül ayrıca korumaların belediyeye ait bir araçla geldiğini ve ateşli silahlar taşıdığını paylaştı. Saldırganlar saldırı esnasında Aygül’e ölüm tehdidinde bulunarak belediye başkanı hakkında haber yapmaması konusunda uyardı. Gazeteci Aygül aldığı yaralar sonucunda hastaneye kaldırıldı. 

 

Aygül, saldırıdan iki gün önce Twitter hesabından yaptığı paylaşımda, Tatvan Belediyesi ve belediye başkanının da dahil olduğu mülk satış ihalesinde usulsüzlük yapıldığı iddialarını gündeme getirmiş ve ihalenin iptal edilmesi çağrısında bulunmuştu.

 

Aygül, eleştirel haberciliği nedeniyle birçok kez hedef gösterildi, ölüm tehditlerine ve hukuk yoluyla tacize maruz bırakıldı. Bugüne kadar gazeteciliği ile bağlantılı olarak hakkında 137 ayrı ceza soruşturması başlatıldı. 19 Ocak 2023’te Aygül, AKP milletvekili Vahit Kiler’in adının karıştığı yolsuzluk iddialarını haberleştirdiği için Kiler’e hakaret suçlamasıyla gözaltına alınıp ilk sorgusunun ardından ertesi gün serbest bırakıldı.

 

Şubat 2023’te ise geçtiğimiz Ekim ayında TBMM tarafından kabul edilen Türkiye’nin yeni “dezenformasyon yasası” kapsamında ceza alan ilk gazeteci olmuştu. Mahkeme tarafından 10 ay hapis cezasına çarptırılan Aygül, ilk temyiz başvurusunun bölge istinaf mahkemesi tarafından reddedilmesinin ardından Yargıtay’a başvurdu.

 

“Aygül ve gazetecilik faaliyetleri nedeniyle tehdit ve saldırılara maruz kalan diğer tüm gazetecilerle dayanışma içindeyiz. Yetkililer, gazetecilerin işlerini özgürce ve güvenli bir şekilde yapabilmelerini ve saldırının arkasında olabilecek kişiler de dahil olmak üzere tüm faillerin adalet önüne çıkarılmalarını sağlamalıdır.”

 

IPI, Avrupa Konseyi Gazetecilerin Güvenliği Platformu’na bu olayla ilgili bir uyarı gönderdi.

İMZALAYANLAR:

  • ARTICLE 19
  • Avrupa Basın ve Medya Özgürlüğü Merkezi (ECPMF)
  • Avrupa Gazeteciler Birliği (AEJ)
  • Avrupa Gazeteciler Federasyonu (EFJ)
  • Bağımsız Gazetecilik Platformu (P24)
  • Gazetecilikte Kadın Koalisyonu (CFWIJ)
  • Güney Doğu Avrupa Medya Organizasyonu (SEEMO)
  • Güvenli Gazeteciler Ağı (SJN)
  • IFEX
  • İngiliz PEN
  • İsveç PEN
  • Medya ve Hukuk Çalışmaları Derneği (MLSA)
  • OBC Transeuropa (OBCT)
  • PEN Norveç
  • Türkiye Gazeteciler Sendikası (TGS)
  • Türkiye İnsan Hakları Davalarına Destek Projesi (TLSP)
  • Uluslararası Af Örgütü Türkiye Şubesi
  • Uluslararası Basın Enstitüsü (IPI)
  • Uluslararası Gazeteciler Federasyonu (IFJ)
  • Uluslararası PEN

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