Press freedom

Ahmet Abakay, president of the Contemporary Journalists’ Association (ÇGD), has called for the immediate release of Aylin Duruoğlu, editor of the website gazetevatan.com belonging to the daily Vatan newspaper.

She was taken into custody on 27 April and arrested three days later, following the operation against an organisation called “Revolutionary Headquarters”. A militant member, a police officer and a young bystander were killed during part of the operation in Bostancı, Istanbul.

Protests against her arrest

Duruoğlu was arrested by decision of the Istanbul Duty 12th Heavy Penal Court and sent to the Bayrampaşa Women’s Prison in Istanbul.

Other journalists have protested against her arrest by gathering in front of the Vatan newspaper’s office.

Abakay told bianet that Duruoğlu should be released immediately, and that she could still be tried without detention if necessary.

“Our greatest wish is the release of our friend. These kind of confusions sometimes happen, and as a result, we have colleagues who are arrested or lose their jobs. Even if she is acquitted, she faces the risk of losing her job or moving away from her profession. If a journalist is released months later, and even if she is acquitted, this leaves indelible marks and that kind of danger has to be prevented now.”

Classified investigation

Naile Kılıç, Duruoğlu’s lawyer, told bianet that the file was classified, and that her client and herself had not been able to find out any more apart from what they were told during the questioning. She said that her client had said all that she knew.

She said that they were continuously objecting to the arrest, but that the first one had been rejected on the grounds that evidence was still being collected and that the public had been shaken by the event.

Her client, so Kılıç, could be visited once a week. She was upset at being in prison.

No links proven

Kılıç said that Duruoğlu had studied in the Political Sciences Faculty at Istanbul University with Orhan Yılmazkaya, the militant who was killed in the shoot-out in Bostancı on 27 April. She had met with him because he had written a book called “Turkish Hamam”.

She added that her client had no knowledge of Yılmazkaya’s links to any illegal organisations and that she had made a detailed statement to the police. Nevertheless, her request for a release has been refused. (EÖ/AG)