A list of imprisoned journalists in Turkey

A longer list can be found in International Federation of Journalists’ site

via here and here.
1- Abdulcabbar Karadağ, Azadiya Welat Gazetesi Mersin Temsilcisi, Mersin E Tipi Kapalı Cezaevi
2- Ahmet Birsin, Gün TV Genel Yayın Koordinatörü, Diyarbakır D Tipi Cezaevi
3- Ali Buluş, DİHA Mersin Muhabiri, Karaman-Ermenek M Tipi Cezaevi
4- Ali Çat, Azadiya Welat Gazetesi Mersin Çalışanı, Mersin E Tipi Kapalı Cezaevi
5- Ali Konar, Azadiya Welat Gazetesi Elazığ Temsilcisi, Malatya E Tipi Cezaevi
6- Baha Okar, Bilim ve Gelecek Dergisi Editörü, Silivri L Tipi Cezaevi, B Blok
7- Barış Açıkel, İşçi-Köylü Gazetesi Sahibi ve Yazı İşleri Müdürü, Kandıra 1 Nolu F Tipi Cezaevi, KOCAELİ
8- Bayram Namaz, Atılım Gazetesi Yazarı, Edirne 1 Nolu F Tipi Cezaevi
9- Bayram Parlak, Gündem Gazetesi Mersin Temsilcisi, Karaman-Ermenek M Tipi Cezaevi
10- Bedri Adanır, Aram Yayınları Sahibi ve Genel Yayın Yönetmeni, Kürtçe Hawar Gazetesi Yazı İşleri Müdürü, Diyarbakır D Tipi Cezaevi
11- Behdin Tunç, DİHA Şırnak Muhabiri, Diyarbakır D Tipi Cezaevi Cezaevi, ANKARA
12- Dılşa Ercan, Azadiya Welat Gazetesi Mersin Çalışanı, Adana Karataş Kadın Kapalı Cezaevi
13- Dilek Keskin, Atılım Gazetesi Muhabiri, Antakya E Tipi Cezaevi
14- Erdal Süsem, Eylül Dergisi Editörü, Edirne F Tipi Cezaevi
15- Erdoğan Akhanlı, Yazar, Tekirdağ 2 Nolu F Tipi Cezaevi
16- Erol Zavar, Odak Dergisi Sahibi ve Yazı İşleri Müdürü, Şair, Sincan F Tipi Cezaevi, ANKARA
17- Faysal Tunç, DİHA Şırnak Muhabiri, Diyarbakır D Tipi Cezaevi
18- Füsun Erdoğan, Özgür Radyo Genel Yayın Koordinatörü, Gebze M Tipi Cezaevi, Gebze/KOCAELİ
19- Gurbet Çakar, Rengê Hêvîya Jinê (Kadının Umudunun Rengi) Dergisi Yazı İşleri Müdürü, Diyarbakır E Tipi Cezaevi
20- Hakan Soytemiz, Red ve Enternasyonal Dergilerinin Yazarı, Silivri L Tipi Cezaevi, B Blok
21- Hamdiye Çiftçi, DİHA Hakkari Muhabiri, Bitlis E Tipi Kapalı Cezaevi
22- Hasan Coşar, Atılım Gazetesi Yazarı, Sincan F Tipi Cezaevi, ANKARA
23- Hatice Duman, Atılım Gazetesi Sahibi ve Yazı İşleri Müdürü, Gebze M Tipi Cezaevi, Gebze/KOCAELİ
24- İbrahim Çiçek, Atılım Gazetesi Genel Yayın Yönetmeni ve Gazeteci-Yazar, Gebze M Tipi Cezaevi, Gebze/KOCAELİ
25- Kenan Karavil, Radyo Dünya Yayın Yönetmeni, Adana Kürkçüler Cezaevi
26- Mahmut Güleycan, Özgür Halk Dergisi Çalışanı, Van F Tipi Cezaevi
27- Mehmet Karaaslan, DİHA Mersin Muhabiri, Karaman-Ermenek M Tipi Cezaevi
28- Mehmet Yeşiltepe, Devrimci Hareket Dergisi Çalışanı, Gazeteci-Yazar, Tekirdağ 1 Nolu F Tipi Cezaevi
29- Mustafa Gök, Ekmek ve Adalet Dergisi Ankara Temsilcisi, Sincan F Tipi
30- Nuri Yeşil, Azadiya Welat Gazetesi Tunceli Çalışanı, Malatya E Tipi Cezaevi
31- Ozan Kılınç, Azadiya Welat Gazetesi Eski İmtiyaz Sahibi veYazı İşleri Müdürü, Diyarbakır D Tipi Cezaevi
32- Sedat Şenoğlu, Atılım Gazetesi Genel Yayın Koordinatörü ve Gazeteci- Yazar, Edirne 1 Nolu F Tipi Cezaevi
33- Seyithan Akyüz, Azadiya Welat Gazetesi Adana Temsilcisi, Adana Kürkçüler Cezaevi
34- Suzan Zengin, İşçi-Köylü Gazetesi Kartal Bürosu Çalışanı, Bakırköy Kadın ve Çocuk Tutukevi
35- Şahin Baydağı, Azadiya Welat Gazetesi Çalışanı, Mardin E Tipi Kapalı Cezaevi
36- Vedat Kurşun, Azadiya Welat Gazetesi Eski Yazı İşleri Müdürü, Diyarbakır D Tipi Cezaevi
37- Ziya Ulusoy, Atılım Gazetesi Yazarı, Tekirdağ 1 Nolu F Tipi Cezaevi

Rights group criticizes Turkish judiciary over ‘terrorism’ charges

from Hurriyet Dailynews

Human Rights Watch released a report Monday criticizing the Turkish judiciary in regards to Kurdish demonstrators being tried as ‘terrorists.’

Istanbul bombing could derail bid for peace
Southeast European Times
A terror attack in Istanbul could prove a litmus test of both sides’ commitment to finding a solution to Turkey’s decades-old Kurdish issue

Dink lawyers ask Istanbul court to return suspect to main case
Hurriyet Daily News
Lawyers representing Hrant Dink’s family have requested an Istanbul court re-merge the trial of the journalist’s alleged killer with the main trial in the

Dink’s murderer might spend less time under detention
Today’s Zaman
31, possibly making some defendants in the Ergenekon and Dink cases eligible to benefit from it. According to the change, the maximum detention period wil

News Website Founder Büyükçakır Sentenced to 11 Months

from Bianet :: English

HaberinYeri.com website official Büyükçakır received a prison sentence on the grounds of a reader comment posted on the site. The comment referred to the statement that President Gül supposedly descended from an Armenian family. Büyükçakır will file a complaint.

YAVUZ BAYDAR – Cease-fire a huge opportunity and challenge for Erdoğan

Soon after the smoke from the suicide bombing in Taksim had dispersed, there was reason for yet another sigh of relief. The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) declared that it had extended a cease-fire until June 2011, when national elections are expected to be held.

Istanbul officials identify Taksim bomber, link him to PKK

from Hurriyet Dailynews

The Istanbul Governor’s Office on Tuesday identified the suicide bomber who blew himself up in Istanbul, wounding 32 people, as a 24-year-old man from Van who in 2004 joined the outlawed PKK.

AMANDA PAUL – Religious freedoms in Turkey — small steps

Freedom of religion is considered to be a fundamental human right. In 1807 Thomas Jefferson said, “Among the inestimable of our blessings, also, is that … of liberty to worship our Creator in the way we think most agreeable to His will.” It is also something that the European Union places great importance on, and those countries that are looking to join the club need to meet EU standards on this.

Tagged in: Hrant Dink assassination, human rights, kurdish, pkk, religious freedoms, turkish journalism

Pingback: Turkish Troubles: Freedom of Expression Endangered in Turkey | Human Rights Now - Amnesty International USA Blog
http://www.bilimvegelecek.com.tr Science and the Future

SCIENCE AND THE FUTURE (Bilim ve Gelecek)
EDITOR AND WRITER HELD FOR 8 MONTHS

The President of Turkey calls for scientists and experts to return to their homeland. Yet editor and manager of one of Turkey’s major popular science periodicals, Science and the Future (Bilim ve Gelecek), also translator and writer Baha Okar, has been held in prison for 8 months, a victim of a specious operation that began last fall.

Living and working as usual with no mystery regarding his whereabouts among academics, intellectuals and publishers as required by his position with the periodical, Baha Okar was arrested on September 21, 2010, and since the 25th of September, 2010 has been held in prison illegally: the period for holding suspects until trial, as set by international agreements, has long since been violated. The first session of Okar’s trial has been set for August 11, 2011.

One of the reasons put forth for Baha Okar’s arrestation is that, according to one testimony, Okar had undergone (para-)military training in Northern Iraq. Yet during the dates given for the alleged training, Okar was in Turkey and working as usual. This fact is confirmed by many types of documented proof and a number of witnesses. It is also alleged that, according to entries in a diary found in his personal computer, Okar had been entertaining relations with one Sabriye Çağırıcı within the context of a political organization. In fact, Sabriye Çağırıcı had been Okar’s French teacher and had lost her life tragically, of cancer, 11 years earlier. The document in question had been published in book form by Science and the Future Publications in 2010, and is widely available. The text was found on Okar’s hard disk because it was his job to do technical preparation of the text for publishing. Relations within a political organization with an individual who had fallen to cancer 15 years ago and passed away 11 years ago! This one example should be sufficiently revelatory of how the criminal charges for this case have been prepared. Charges also include what is alleged to be conversations regarding a political organization, while the conversations in question had no such content whatsoever, having entirely to do with work and private life. We all regularly make such calls. If the logic of the criminal charges is upheld, it means all of us are guilty of maintaining relations with political organizations without realizing it!

If it is true that Turkey is indeed undergoing a transition to a more genuine democracy, then practical steps taken should conform to this trend. So it is sad that while the government speaks of democratization, it is at the same time carrying out fear and intimidation operations aimed at oppositional groups. While officials frequently claim that the juduciary is independent they are also legitimizing an ongoing injustice.

In recent times many individuals like Baha Okar are being arrested and jailed in spite of asserting their innocence. For both the imprisoned and their friends and families, these unjust arrests have the effect of sequestering their lives, of turning them into a source of constant torture.

We demand that science periodical editor and writer Baha Okar and those like him being held on the basis of spurious charges be released at once, that this overt injustice be brought to an end.

Ender Helvacıoglu/ Executive Editor

Science and the Future (Bilim ve Gelecek)
Contact Information
Address: Moda Cad. Zuhal Sk, Gül Apt. No:9/1Kadıköy 34710 Istanbul, Turkey
Phone number: 0090 2163497172, ender_helvacioglu@yahoo.com

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