RIGHTS - Bianet

RIGHTS

Page 200

Dink Trial to be Merged with "Ergenekon"?

Dink Trial to be Merged with "Ergenekon"?

Prosecutor Usta, appointed by the Istanbul 14th High Criminal Court for the final plea in the murder case of Turkish-Armenian journalist Dink, demanded an investigation into the connections between the Dink murder case suspects and the defendants of the Ergenekon trial.

Prosecutor Pleaded for Acquittal of Journalist Erdal

Prosecutor Pleaded for Acquittal of Journalist Erdal

The prosecutor demanded the acquittal of Zaman newspaper writer Erdal. The journalist is being tried upon the complaint of judges Aslan and Alp on the grounds of news about the Ergenekon and Sledgehammer cases.

138 Words Banned from the Internet

138 Words Banned from the Internet

The Telecommunication Communication Presidency banned 138 words and terms from the internet. The list also includes words used in everyday life. The number of access bans is expected to increase; also food home delivery sites or football supporters' clubs will be affected.

29 April 2011 Ekin Karaca

Students from Berlin and Istanbul at bianet

Students from Berlin and Istanbul at bianet

bianet was the starting point for students from Bahçeşehir University in Istanbul and from the Freie Universität Berlin in a series of visits to Turkish media institutions. As part of the Media and Culture Management project, they met BİA Project Advisor Nadire Mater.

28 April 2011 Haluk Kalafat

Homes of Kurdish Families in Izmir Burnt Down

Homes of Kurdish Families in Izmir Burnt Down

The homes of 14 Kurdish families in Çeşme (Izmir) were demolished and burnt down because the houses were allegedly located on agricultural land. The families reacted by breaking the windows of the municipality building.

28 April 2011 Nail Karayel

Journalists' Impact on Labour Day

Journalists' Impact on Labour Day

A group of journalists urged their colleagues to join the 1 May demonstrations in Istanbul to raise their voices for the release of arrested journalists Şık and Şener. The journalists will accompany the socialist trade union DİSK with their call for press freedom and fundamental rights.

27 April 2011 Nilay Vardar

Mass Crackdowns on 'Democratic Solution Tents'

Mass Crackdowns on 'Democratic Solution Tents'

The "Democratic Solution Tents" for a peaceful solution of the Kurdish question were raided in 17 different provinces all over Turkey because they allegedly constituted a "threat to public security". The tents were struck and taken to the Police Directorate.

27 April 2011 Ayça Söylemez

Protection Board: "Beat Generation" Immoral

Protection Board: "Beat Generation" Immoral

The Prime Ministerial Board for the Protection of Children from Harmful Publications demanded punishment for the book "The Soft Machine" because it does "not comply with the social morality". Sel Publishing called this an "outrageous injustice done to a work of art".

Journalist Attacked for News on Smuggling

Journalist Attacked for News on Smuggling

Journalist Kaçuru, reporter for the Anatolia Agency and TRT, was beaten at the Gürbulak Customs Gate after he came there to cover a news story. Kaçuru applied to the prosecution.

Defence Lawyers Leave Hearing under Protest

Defence Lawyers Leave Hearing under Protest

The defence lawyers of the "Sledgehammer Coup Plan" trial left the court room to protest the criminal complaint filed against lawyer Ersöz after the last hearing in March. Meanwhile, the Ankara Public Chief Prosecution decided for a lack of jurisdictions regarding the "Coup Diaries".

26 April 2011 Sledgehammer Trıal

35 People in Custody, Tens of Thousands of People Protest

35 People in Custody, Tens of Thousands of People Protest

35 people were taken into custody in an operation regarding the investigation into the Union of Kurdistan Communities (KCK). About 20,000 people took the street for a protest march from Hakkari to Van. They continued the demonstration in a sit-down protest.

26 April 2011 Nilay Vardar

DİHA Representatives and Reporters Arrested

DİHA Representatives and Reporters Arrested

Dicle News Agency Diyarbakır representative Kadri Kaya, Batman reporter Erdoğan Altan and two other people were arrested by a Batman Court on Duty under allegations of "membership in an illegal organization". Batman Post newspaper reporter Mehmet Karabaş was released.

Defence Lawyers about to Withdraw from KCK Trial

Defence Lawyers about to Withdraw from KCK Trial

The procedures of the KCK trial heard in Diyarbakır were once more jammed upon the court board's decision not to permit a defence in Kurdish. The microphone was switched off for two defendants. About 100 defence lawyers protested the court.

12 Independent Candidates Barred from General Election

12 Independent Candidates Barred from General Election

The Supreme Election Board excluded twelve independent candidates from running for the general election in June. The candidates support the pro-Kurdish BDP. Political parties and NGOs criticized the decision, thousands of people protested all over the country.

"Internet Filter" Opposes Fundamental Rights and Freedoms

"Internet Filter" Opposes Fundamental Rights and Freedoms

According to Assoc. Prof. Altıparmak, the "Draft Bill on Rules and Procedures of the Safety of Internet Use" clearly violates the law and will create damage difficult to repair. bianet brought the draft bill before the Council of State last week.

19 April 2011 Ekin Karaca

RSF Secretary General Julliard in Istanbul

RSF Secretary General Julliard in Istanbul

Reporters without Borders Secretary General Juillard holds a press conference in Istanbul on Monday to draw attention to the arrests of journalists in Turkey and violations of press freedom. Journalist Saymaz and TGC Secretary General Güneş will join the conference as well.

Journalist Şener at Court for the First Time after his Arrest

Journalist Şener at Court for the First Time after his Arrest

Journalist Nedim Şener was taken to court for the first time since his arrest on 6 March. The trial was opened on the grounds of a news article written by Şener. He was supported inside and in front of the court house by his family, friends and colleagues.

19 April 2011 Emir Çelik

Law on Hate Crimes Long Overdue

Law on Hate Crimes Long Overdue

The International Conference on Hate Crimes drew attention to the role of the media for hate crimes. The participants emphasized the immediate need for a law on hate crimes that is going to protect all individuals of society.

18 April 2011 Ayça Söylemez

On Trial for Attending Funeral of Writer Bozoklar

On Trial for Attending Funeral of Writer Bozoklar

27 people, among them members of the press, are standing trial under allegations of "membership in the Marxist Leninist Communist Party because they attended the funeral of revolutionary writer Kutsiye Bozoklar. The case was postponed to September.

Minister Gave Order for "Return to Life" Operation

Minister Gave Order for "Return to Life" Operation

Records proved that the order for the Return to Life operation came from the Ministry of the Interior. The same documents revealed that then Prisons and Arrest Stations General Manager Ertosun forwarded the order to the gendarmerie on the phone.

15 April 2011 Ayça Söylemez

Internet Should not Become the "Voice of Ankara"

Internet Should not Become the "Voice of Ankara"

The IPS Communication Foundation/bianet brought a compulsory filter program for all internet subscribers in Turkey before the Council of State. The new regulation enables the Council of Information Technologies and Telecommunication to ban access to websites according to their own unpublished list of forbidden sites.

15 April 2011 Emin Acar

Journalist Şık Absent at Court - Transportation Mishap at Prison

Journalist Şık Absent at Court - Transportation Mishap at Prison

"We touch even if we get burned" was the motto of demonstrators who protested the trial against journalists Ahmet Şık and Ertuğrul Mavioğlu. The hearing was postponed to 13 May because Şık was not brought to court by the authorities of the Silivri Prison.

15 April 2011 Ayça Söylemez

Ertosun's Compensation Claim against bianet Rejected

Ertosun's Compensation Claim against bianet Rejected

The compensation claim filed against Tanay from the Contemporary Lawyers Association and bianet website co-ordinator Kürkçü by former Prisons and Arrest Stations General Manager Ertosun was rejected by an Ankara court.

Defendant Abi Released Pending Trial

Defendant Abi Released Pending Trial

Ferzinde Abi, one out of 17 defendants of the KCK Trial in Van, was released pending trial due to health reasons. The President Judge had five-year-old Argeş removed from the courtroom because he 'disturbed his conscience'. The boy stays in prison with his detained mother.

PM Erdoğan Compared Journalist Şık's Book to a Bomb

PM Erdoğan Compared Journalist Şık's Book to a Bomb

Prime Minister Erdoğan replied to the questions of the Members of Parliament of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. He emphasized the independence of the Turkish judiciary from the executive and compared journalist Şık's unpublished book to a bomb.

Interview with Ertuğrul Kürkçü - Second Part

Interview with Ertuğrul Kürkçü - Second Part

BİA Project Coordinator Kürkçü is the Mersin MP candidate for the Labour, Democracy and Freedom Block affiliated to the Peace and Democracy Party for the general elections in June. Read here the second part of an interview with Kürkçü held by bianet reporter Nilay Vardar.

13 April 2011 Nilay Vardar

"Labour, Democracy and Freedom Block must be Continued"

"Labour, Democracy and Freedom Block must be Continued"

BİA Project Coordinator Kürkçü is the Mersin MP candidate for the Labour, Democracy and Freedom Block affiliated to the Peace and Democracy Party for the general elections in June. Read here the first part of an interview with Kürkçü held by bianet reporter Nilay Vardar.

12 April 2011 Nilay Vardar

15,200 Files against Turkey Pending at ECHR

15,200 Files against Turkey Pending at ECHR

In 2010, a total of 15,200 applications filed against Turkey were pending before the European Court of Human Rights. Only Russia has more files pending. Turkey is the country with the highest number of convictions regarding violations of rights at the ECHR.

522 Unsolved Murders in Four Years

522 Unsolved Murders in Four Years

"Nobody who commits a crime gets away with it any more. Unsolved murders are not an issue", President Gül recently announced. The Turkish Human Rights Report 2010 prepared by TİHV draws a different picture. 522 unsolved murders were registered in the past four years.

12 April 2011 Ayça Söylemez

Compensation for Prime Minister

Compensation for Prime Minister

Journalist Bekir Coşkun and the Cumhuriyet newspaper were convicted of an "attack on the personal rights" of Prime Minister Erdoğan. They were sentenced to a monetary fine of TL 5,000 in compensation.

Detained Journalist Kılınç Sentenced to Six Years in Jail

Detained Journalist Kılınç Sentenced to Six Years in Jail

The Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court handed down a prison sentence of six years and nine months to journalist Ozan Kılıç, former concessionaire of the Azadiya Welat newspaper. Kılınç was charged with "spreading propaganda for an illegal organization".

Appeal against Arrest Dismissed for the Second Time

Appeal against Arrest Dismissed for the Second Time

An Istanbul court on duty rejected the appeal against the arrest of journalists Ahmet Şık and Nedim Şener for the second time. Another seven journalists, writers and book authors will remain in detention as well.