PA

Think,think… FreedomofExpressionWeeklyBulletin(Issue15/17,14April2017)

Whathappenedlastweek?

***PresidentErdoğanhasclaimedthathedidnotcallcitizenswhowillvote‘No’inthereferendum “terrorists.” However, he did say that the terrorist organizations support‘No’ in the referendum. Erdoğan has established his entire referendum strategy oncreating tensions with European countries. As the campaigns come to an end, hetargeted theRepublicanPeople’s Party (CHP) leader. Erdoğanhas further implied thepossibleextensionoftheStateofEmergency.

*** Speaking about the referendum, Erdoğan said, “When I became a Presidencycandidate, Ihaveresigned fromtheparty Iestablished.Now itwillbepossible formetoreturntomyparty.”Erdoğancontinuouslybringsupthediscussionson“deathpenalty”aswell;announcingthatareferendumonthisparticularsubjectislikelyinthefuture.

***AboardfromtheOrganizationforSecurityandCo-OperationinEurope(OSCE)hasvisitedTurkeytomonitorthereferendumprocessandlaunchedaninterimreport.Thereportinvolvesdatarecordedbetweenthedates17Marchand7April2017;indicatingrestrictions on freedom of expressions and on ‘No’ campaigns. The report furtherexplainsgovernmentresourcesarebeingspententirelyon‘Yes’propaganda.

*** Provincial ElectionBoards have decided tomerge the ballot boxes inBatman andAğrı,justdaysbeforethereferendum.ThemovedballotboxesinBatmanhaspreviouslyhostedmorethan80percentofvotesforthePeople’sDemocraticParty(HDP).

***HealthMinisterAkdağhasannouncedtheidentificationofsaringasuseasaweaponin Idlib; Russia has described the attack as a “provocation.” Following the diplomaticcrisis,theU.S.andRussiahavedecidedto“continueco-operating”inSyria.

*** European Court of human Rights has decided to discuss the applicationmade byarrestedwriters and executives of Cumhuriyet newspaper in priority. The applicationmadebythejournalistsattheConstitutionalCourthasn’tbeenhandledforthreeandahalfmonths.

***Alldefendantshavebeenacquittedinthe‘OdaTVCase’thathasbeengoingonfor6years. Istanbul 18th High Criminal Court have decided that there is no concrete andsufficient evidence on the charges imposed on13people, including journalistsAhmetŞık,NedimŞener,SonerYalçınandProf.Dr.YalçınKüçük.

***TheinvestigationagainstformerexecutivesandwritersofZamannewspaper,whichwasshutdownwithanemergencydecree,hasbeencompleted.30people,21ofwhomarrested, face three times heavy life imprisonment due to “attempting coup” and anadditional imprisonment sentence up to 15 years due to “illegal organizationmembership.”

***Hungerstrikesinprisonsfulfilledtheir59thday.Therearecurrently202convictsin

PA

25prisonsonahungerstrike.Non-GovernmentalOrganizationshavemadeapubliccallforsensitivity,“topreventfurtherpain.”AnapplicationhasbeenmadeattheEuropeanCommittee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) to send a board to these prisons andmonitorthestrikes.

***DemocraticRegionsParty(DBP)LocalAdministrationsCommissionhasannouncedthat there are 89 Co-Mayors arrested and 83 municipalities are under trusteeadministration.DBPhaswon103municipalitiesinthelatestlocalelections.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HumanRightsAssociation:“StateofEmergencyandStatutoryDecreeregimemustend”HumanRightsAssociation(IHD)haslaunchedthe2016TurkeyHumanRightsViolationsReport,entitled,“ActivelyAuthoritarianPresidencyPeriod.”The report indicates heavy and serious human rights violations after giving up thepeaceful resolution and negotiations of the Kurdish Question; reminding one of the1990s. “Under conditions where peace can not be provided, right to life can not beprotected;whenthereisnorighttolife,itisnotpossibletotalkaboutotherrights,”statedthereport.Ithasfurthermoreemphasizedthatfreedomofexpressionisunderjudicialpressurebytheauthoritarianadministration;hencenodemocracycouldbetalkedaboutinTurkey,eveninminimumstandards.ThereportdemandsanimmediateendfortheStateofEmergencyandtheStatutoryDecrees.Pleaseclickhereforthefullreport.

PA

Alldefendantsacquittedin‘OdaTVCase’All defendants have been acquitted in the ‘OdaTVCase’ that has been going on for 6years. Istanbul 18th High Criminal Court have decided that there is no concrete andsufficient evidence on the charges imposed on13people, including journalistsAhmetŞık,NedimŞener,SonerYalçınandProf.Dr.YalçınKüçük.Journalist Ahmet Şık had been arrested within the case on 6 April 2011 and wasreleasedon12March2012afteroneyearinprison;thenwasarrestedonceagainafterfiveyearsdueto“makingFETÖandPKKpropaganda.”ŞıkwasbroughttothehearingfromSilivriPrison.“IhavealottosaybutifIsaywhatIhaveinmind,itwillbeanewcaseofjudiciary.Thiscourthousehasbecomeagraveforjustice.Howbitteritisthatthegravediggersaretheprosecutorsandjudges,”statedŞık.The case’s indictment has been prepared on 26 August 2011 and the proceeding hasstarted on 22 November 2011. In the case, 10 people have served jail time varyingbetween1yearand2years,tenmonths.KaşifKozinoğluhasdiedinprisonasthecasecontinued.14defendants,includingKozinoğlu,havefacedimprisonmentsentencesforatotalof262.5years.Thearresteddefendantshaveservedatotalof14yearsandsevenmonthsinprison.

Zaman newspaper indictment: 30 face heavy lifeimprisonmentThe investigation against former executives and writers of Zaman newspaper, which

PA

wasshutdownwithanemergencydecree,hasbeencompleted.30people,21ofwhomarrested, face three times heavy life imprisonment due to “attempting coup” and anadditional imprisonment sentence up to 15 years due to “illegal organizationmembership.” The defendants includeMümtazer Türköne, Ahmet Turan Alkan, ŞahinAlpay,MustafaÜnalandAliBulaç.IntheindictmentsenttoIstanbul13thHighCriminalCourt,theProsecutor’sOfficehasassertedthatthesuspectcolumnistshaveexceededlimitsofpressfreedomandfreedomof expression and used statements that would violate the rights of governmentauthorities and governmental institutions; made statements that could disrupt socialpeaceandorder;havenothesitatedtocallforamilitarycoupandthusfulfillingadutywithinthehierarchyofFETÖterroristorganizationwitharticleswritteninaccordancewithorganizationalaims.

SentenceagainstŞanarYurdatapanapprovedThe “Editors-In-Chief on Duty” for previously shut-down Özgür Gündem NewspaperhaveappliedtotheCourtofAppealsaftertheyhavebeensentencedduetothesolidaritycampaign.TheCourthasissuedthefirstreplytotheapplication,approvingthesentenceof1yearand threemonthsof imprisonmentagainstŞanarYurdatapan, aswell as theadditional6,000TLjudicialfine.The court had sentenced Yurdatapan to 6,000 TL judicial fine due to “publishing thestatements of an illegal organization” and postponed the 1 year and three monthimprisonmentsentenceddueto“makingillegalorganizationpropaganda.”

PA

CensoredscreeningatfilmfestivalMovie “Zer” by director Kazım Öz, which explains the Dersim massacre, has beencensoredbytheMinistryofCultureatthe36thIstanbulFilmFestival.Protestingthecensorshipofsomesectionsofthemovie,Özhasblackedoutthescreenintherelatedscenesofthemovie. Insteadofthescenes,theaudiencefacedthewarning:“YouarenotabletowatchthisscenebecauseitwasfoundinappropriatebytheRepublicofTurkeyMinistryofCultureDirectorateofCinemaHighMonitoringCouncil.”

FilesofinsultingErdoğanFreedomandSolidarityParty(ÖDP)TokatCentralDistrictChairmanÖnderKonukhasbeensentencedto1year,2monthsand17daysofimprisonmentinthecasehewasontrialwiththeallegationof insultingPresidentErdoğanthroughhispostsonFacebook.Tokat 1st Criminal Court of First Instance has not deferred the announcement of thesentence,since“therewasnoimpressionthathewillnotcommitthecrimeagain.”AninvestigationhasbeenopenedagainstartistFerhatTunçduetoinsultingPresidentErdoğan on his social media account. Testifying within the investigation opened byIstanbulBüyükçekmeceChiefPublicProsecutor’sOffice,Tunçhasstated,“Iusethesocialmediaactivelyinthiscountry,wheretheoppositionalpressisbeingsilenced.Iamknownwithmypoliticalidentitybesidesmyartistidentity.Mypostsarecriticalandtheyhandlecurrentpoliticalissues.”

PA

Istanbul67thCriminalCourtofFirstInstancehasfound42-year-oldŞerifBalnotguiltyof“insultingErdoğan.”BalhadbeentakenintocustodyduringtheconvoyceremonyofPresidentErdoğanon13February2016.Balwasontrialduetothetestimonyofapoliceofficer,whosaidthatBalhasinsultedthePresident.Hehasbeenacquittedofthechargeagainsthim.

NewsbyBianetcensoredIstanbul 9th Criminal Court of Peace Judge Mustafa Çakar has decided for the news,entitled, “Acquittal for slogan ‘Murderer, Thief Erdoğan’” published by Bianet to bebanned to access. The news explained the acquittal of eight people in Yalova, whoindicatedthattheyusedtheirfreedomofexpressionwhilechantingtheslogan.ThebandecisionhasbeenmadebythecourtfollowingPresidentErdoğan’scomplaint.Other news websites quoting the same news have been banned to access as well.Censoring46newsandquotes,Çakarhasdefendedthatthenewsinvolved“expressionsaimingtocreateanegativeandfalseimpressionontheaudience.”

FigenYüksekdağsentencedtoimprisonmentFigen Yüksekdağ has been sentenced to 1 year of imprisonment due to “making anarmed terrorist organization propaganda” with the speech she gave in a meeting inSaraçhanein2015,ontheanniversaryofPKKleaderAbdullahÖcalanbeinghandedtoTurkey.Istanbul22ndHighCriminalCourthasn’tpostponedYüksekdağ’ssentenceandacquittedherofthechargesof“praisingthecrimeandthecriminal”and“participatinginanillegalmeetinganddemonstration.”

PA

YüksekdağhadpreviouslylostherseatintheParliamentduetothedefinitivejudgmentagainsther,andshewasremovedfromPeople’sDemocraticParty(HDP)membershipwithaCourtofAppealsdecree.

JournalistYunusÖnalsentencedtoimprisonmentJournalistYunusÖnalhasbeensentencedto6yearsand3monthsofimprisonmentinthe case he is on trial at Bitlis 2nd High Criminal Court due to “illegal organizationmembership.” The reasoned decision has shown Önal’s various activities such asfollowing the candidate presentation of People’s Democratic Party (HDP) as a DicleNews Agency (DIHA) reporter, participating in the press statement that demandseducationinthemothertongue,dancingwiththepeopleinthegroupandbeingpresentinthechantingareaasevidenceforthecharge.Önal had been dismissed from his work as a Kurdish editor at Sputnik due to theinvestigationagainsthim;thenstartedworkingforBianetasaKurdisheditor.

Indictment against Levent Pişkin: Legal activities suggestcrimeevidenceLawyer Levent Pişkin was taken into custody after meeting with his client, People’sDemocraticParty(HDP)Co-ChairSelahattinDemirtaş,attheprisoninNovember.Inthe

PA

indictmentagainstPişkin, sent tobursa8thHighCriminalCourt,12peoplehavebeenchargedwith“illegalorganizationmembership”and“illegalorganizationpropaganda.”2ofthe12defendantsarelawyers.PişkinhasbeenchargedwithconductinglobbyistactivitiesagainstTurkeybydeliveringthenoteofDemirtaştoDerSpiegelnewspaper.Hehadbeentakenintocustodywithahouseraidon14November2016andbeenreleasedtwodaysafter,withaconditionofjudicial control. 5 of the 12 people taken into custody within the investigation werearrested.In the indictment, the Prosecutor’s Office has asserted that Der Spiegel magazine“publishesnewsdenigratingthegovernmentoftheRepublicofturkeyaswellasinsultingPresidentTayyipErdoğan;andconductsabroadcastpolicythataimstodefameTurkey.”Mehmet Kocaman, who was arrested within the same file, has been charged due topossessingthemobileappsofAnfNews,DIHA,IMCTVandÖzgürGündemonhissmartphone. Mediha Azra Gülpınar has been charged due to the foreign currency shepossessedduringaprotestinBursa.

ParticipantstopressstatementinAntalyafinedEducation and Science Workers’ Union (Eğitim-Sen) Antalya Branch has organized apressstatementon9February2017toprotesttheverdictsofdismissalandtoprotectmembersdismissedfromdutywithStatutoryDecrees.MuratpaşaDistrictGovernoratehas sentenced theparticipants toa totalof22,700TL judicial fine (227TLeach).Thereasonforthepenaltyis“toparticipateinapressstatementwithoutpermission.”

PA

Eğitim-SenmemberspenalizedafterstrikeAdministrative investigationsagainst34 teachershavebeenconcludedafter the1-daystrikeon29December2015toprotesttherightsviolationsduringcurfews.TheprotestshavebeenorganizedinKarsbyEducationandScienceWorkers’Union(Eğitim-Sen).InspectionBoardoftheMinistryofNationalEducationhassentenced9teachersto1/30salarycutdueto“absencefromdutywithoutpermission;”25teacherstorankprogresspauseforayearandallprotesterstoexileattheendoftheschoolyear.

BTKcensorssendika.orgeverysingledayInformationTechnologiesAuthority(BTK)isissuingaccessbanverdictsonsendika.orgwebsiteeverysingleday.ThewebsiteisbeingopenedonanotherURLimmediatelyafterthe shutdown of the previousURL. Thewebsite has been censored once again. Beingcensoredfor27timessince July2015, thewebsitecontinues itsbroadcastontheURLsendika28.org.

PA

BilgiUniversitydoesnotallowconference“KurdishTheater,frompasttotoday”Bilgi University Executive Board has not allowed the conference, entitled, “KurdishTheater, fromPast toToday” tobeorganizedbyBilgiUniversityCultureandThoughtClub(BKDT)dueto“administrativereasons.”The conference was to handle the historical development of the Kurdish theater, thephasesofKurdishartandpracticaltheaterlife,aswellastheperceptionsof‘traditional’and‘modern’Kurdishtheater.IthasbeenannouncedthattheconferencewillbeheldatBoğaziçiUniversityinstead.BKDThasindicatedthattheeventhasbeenbannedduetoinvolvingtheword“Kurdish”initstitle;criticizingtheBilgiUniversityadministrationwith“beinganaccomplicewithacensoringmindset.”

THIS WEEK ON THE MUSEUM OF CRIMES OF THOUGHT

Staytuned

Followtheagendainthemostentertainingwaywithourregularlyupdatedmuseum

PA

Politicsunderthestateofemergency

A board from Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE) haslaunched a midterm report after visiting Turkey to monitor the referendum process.Handlingtheperiodbetween17March-7April2017,thereportindicatesthatfreedomofexpressionand ‘No’campaignsarebeingrestricted;andthatgovernmentresourcesarebeingspententirelyon‘Yes’propaganda.

Referendum

MHP leader Bahçeli, who has been calling for "Yes" votes reacted to the President'sadvisor's article on "federal state": "If the president remains silent or accepts suchsuggestion,whatdoyouthinkwillbethedecisionofthenationalistswhodefendunitarystate"

FreedomofExpression

PA

All defendants have been acquitted in the ‘OdaTVCase’ that has been going on for 6years. Istanbul 18th High Criminal Court have decided that there is no concrete andsufficient evidence on the charges imposed on13people, including journalistsAhmetŞık,NedimŞener,SonerYalçınandProf.Dr.YalçınKüçük.

The investigation against former executives and writers of Zaman newspaper, whichwasshutdownwithanemergencydecree,hasbeencompleted.30people,21ofwhomarrested, face three times heavy life imprisonment due to “attempting coup” and anadditional imprisonment sentence up to 15 years due to “illegal organizationmembership.”

Syria

Following the chemical attack, alleged to be perpetrated by the Syrian government inİdlib, USA strikes Syria. Russia suspended her air operations agreement with USA.RussiavetoedtheresolutiondraftonthechemicalattackinSyriaatUNSecurityCouncil.SyrianChiefofStaffannouncedthathundredsofcivilianswerekilled inanattacktoachemicalweaponstorageatDeyrezZoronWednesdaybythecoalitionforces.

TRIALSOFFREEDOMOFEXPRESSION● HearingsofÖzgürGündem’sEditors-In-ChiefonDutyhavebeenheldthisweek

on April 11th. The case of Veysi Altay has been postponed to 18 July 2017, at10:10.ThecaseofCanDündarhasbeenpostponedto18July2017,at10:05.

● Alldefendantshavebeenacquitted in theOdaTVCase, at thehearingonApril12th.

TRIALSOFNEXTWEEK

● Şanar Yurdatapan, Zeynep Serinkaya and Doğan Özkan have supported ErolÖnderoğluwithacivildisobedienceprotestduetohisEditing-In-ChiefonDutyatÖzgürGündemNewspaper.Theirhearingswillbeheldatthe13thHighCriminalCourton18April2017at09:40.

● NexthearingsofEditors-In-ChiefonDutyofÖzgürGündemNewspaperwill beheld this week. The hearing of Hüseyin Tahmazwill be held at the 23rd HighCriminalCourton18April2017; thehearingofTuğrulEryılmazwillbehelfat

PA

the22ndHighCriminalCourton20April2017.