And Another Turkish Journalist in Jail...

The number of journalists in detention in Turkey went down by one due to the recent release of Erdal Güler, former editor-in-chief of the Revolutionary Democracy ('Devrimci Demokrasi') newspaper. However, it quickly increased again by one when the former chief editor of the Kurdish-Turkish Renge Heviya Jine women magazine, Berivan Eker, was arrested because of her articles.

Two investigations were launched about the journalist on charges of "spreading propaganda for an illegal organization" and, based on articles from June and July 2010, on "committing a crime on behalf of an illegal organization". The investigations were merged later on. Eker was taken into police custody on Sunday (5 December) in order to take her statement. She had not been informed about the investigations because she was out of town. On Sunday, she was actually going to a meeting with her lawyer.

Renge Heviya Jine (The colour of the women's hope) is the only women magazine in Turkey publishing in both the Kurdish and the Turkish language. It is expected that a trial will be opened against Eker under the allegations mentioned above.

Similar procedures for Gurbet Çakar

The magazine's former editor-in-chief, Gurbet Çakar, was arrested by the Public Prosecution of Diyarbakır, a Kurdish-majority province in south-eastern Turkey, when she went to the prosecution in order to give her statement. The prosecutor demanded prison terms of up to 20 years for Çakar on charges of "spreading propaganda for an illegal organization via the media" and "membership of the PKK", the outlawed militant Kurdistan Workers Party.

Besides Gurbet Çakar and Berivan Eker, three other Turkish journalists are currently behind bars, namely Vedat Kurşun and Ozan Kılıç, both former chief editors of the Kurdish Azadiya Welat newspaper, and Bedir Adanır, owner of Aram Publishing and official of the Kurdish Hawar newspaper. Additionally, more than 25 journalists are in jail for alleged affiliations to terror organizations.

Three chief editors convicted

Sultan Sonsuz, first editor-in-chief of the women magazine, is indicted under charges of "propaganda" in five different cases. Sonsuz was sentenced to imprisonment of one year and three months in one of these trials. She is facing between four years and nine months and 20 years behind bars in the scope of the remaining four trials. Her successor Ruken Aktaş is facing three years and nine months in prison.

Aktaş brought her three cases before the Court of Appeals whereupon procedures related to one trial were dropped. Aktaş's successor Sibel Esmer was sentenced to imprisonment of one year and three months on "propaganda" charges by the Diyarbakır 6^th High Criminal Court. She appealed the decision. (EÖ/VK)