The new Turkey İshak Karakaş. Editor of the newspaper Halkın Nabzı
19-Apr-2019 10:38
26 March 2019: İshak Karakaş given 1.5-year prison term over social media posts Journalist İshak Karakaş, the former editor-in-chief and owner of the shuttered weekly newspaper Halkın Nabzı, appeared in the final hearing of his trial on the “propaganda” charge on 26 March in Istanbul. Karakaş was accused on account of his social media posts critical of Turkey’s military operation on the Syrian city of Afrin. P24 monitored the hearing, where Karakaş and his co-defendants as well as their lawyers were in attendance. Rendering its verdict after hearing all defense statements, the 28th High Criminal Court of Istanbul convicted Karakaş and his co-defendants Yücel Üney, Yaşar Yılmaz Altunbilek, Tarzan Aktan, Ömer Karakurt, Murat Demir, Şervan Dinçer and Abdullah Yeşilbağdan of “successively disseminating propaganda for a terrorist group” and sentenced each to 1 year, 6 months and 22 days in prison. Two other defendants in the case, Cevdet Taş and Ahmet Alanç, were also convicted of the “propaganda” charge and given 1 year and 3 months in prison. The court deferred all sentences. 17 January 2019: Court lifts travel ban on İshak Karakaş The fourth hearing in a trial where journalist İshak Karakaş, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper Halkın Nabzı,and nine other defendants stand accused of “propaganda” on account of their social media posts, took place on 17 January at the 28th High Criminal Court of Istanbul. P24 monitored the hearing, where the defendants and their lawyers responded to the accusations in the prosecutor’s final opinion of the case, which was submitted to the court in between hearings, and requested continuance for the final defense statements. The prosecution’s final opinion requests that Karakaş be convicted of “successively disseminating propaganda for a terrorist group.” Addressing the court during the hearing, Karakaş made explanations concerning his social media posts cited in the prosecution’s final opinion. Karakaş requested to be acquitted as he wrapped up his statement. In its interim ruling at the end of the hearing, the court ruled to lift the international travel ban imposed on all defendants in the case because all defense statements have been heard. The court also lifted other judicial control measures imposed on the defendants and set 26 March 2019 as the date for the next hearing. 6 September 2018: İshak Karakaş , the editor of the newspaper Halkın Nabzı and a columnist for the exile news website Artı Gerçek, was arrested in late January and was not released until the start of May, when his trial on a charge of “PKK propaganda” got under way. RSF attended the initial hearing, at which he pleaded innocent and insisted that he served the cause of peace. “The content that I shared online consisted of articles and comments that do not represent any political party and do not consist of terrorist propaganda,” Karakaş testified. His trial will resume on 18 September and he continues to face a possible prison sentence if found guilty. “The persecution of journalism is diverting the justice system from the legitimate task of combatting terrorism,” RSF Turkey representative Erol Önderoğlu said. “A complete overhaul of the terrorism law and a return to the rule of law would be of much greater help in combatting the real threats that Turkey faces. We call for the withdrawal of all charges against journalists and bloggers who are being prosecuted just for doing their job.”*

The new Turkey
İshak Karakaş.
Editor of the newspaper Halkın Nabzı

19-Apr-2019 10:38

26 March 2019:

İshak Karakaş given 1.5-year prison term over social media posts

Journalist İshak Karakaş, the former editor-in-chief and owner of the shuttered weekly newspaper Halkın Nabzı, appeared in the final hearing of his trial on the “propaganda” charge on 26 March in Istanbul.

Karakaş was accused on account of his social media posts critical of Turkey’s military operation on the Syrian city of Afrin. P24 monitored the hearing, where Karakaş and his co-defendants as well as their lawyers were in attendance.

Rendering its verdict after hearing all defense statements, the 28th High Criminal Court of Istanbul convicted Karakaş and his co-defendants Yücel Üney, Yaşar Yılmaz Altunbilek, Tarzan Aktan, Ömer Karakurt, Murat Demir, Şervan Dinçer and Abdullah Yeşilbağdan of “successively disseminating propaganda for a terrorist group” and sentenced each to 1 year, 6 months and 22 days in prison.

Two other defendants in the case, Cevdet Taş and Ahmet Alanç, were also convicted of the “propaganda” charge and given 1 year and 3 months in prison. The court deferred all sentences.

17 January 2019:

Court lifts travel ban on İshak Karakaş

The fourth hearing in a trial where journalist İshak Karakaş, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper Halkın Nabzı,and nine other defendants stand accused of “propaganda” on account of their social media posts, took place on 17 January at the 28th High Criminal Court of Istanbul.

P24 monitored the hearing, where the defendants and their lawyers responded to the accusations in the prosecutor’s final opinion of the case, which was submitted to the court in between hearings, and requested continuance for the final defense statements. The prosecution’s final opinion requests that Karakaş be convicted of “successively disseminating propaganda for a terrorist group.”

Addressing the court during the hearing, Karakaş made explanations concerning his social media posts cited in the prosecution’s final opinion. Karakaş requested to be acquitted as he wrapped up his statement.

In its interim ruling at the end of the hearing, the court ruled to lift the international travel ban imposed on all defendants in the case because all defense statements have been heard. The court also lifted other judicial control measures imposed on the defendants and set 26 March 2019 as the date for the next hearing.

6 September 2018:

İshak Karakaş , the editor of the newspaper Halkın Nabzı and a columnist for the exile news website Artı Gerçek, was arrested in late January and was not released until the start of May, when his trial on a charge of “PKK propaganda” got under way. RSF attended the initial hearing, at which he pleaded innocent and insisted that he served the cause of peace.

“The content that I shared online consisted of articles and comments that do not represent any political party and do not consist of terrorist propaganda,” Karakaş testified. His trial will resume on 18 September and he continues to face a possible prison sentence if found guilty.

“The persecution of journalism is diverting the justice system from the legitimate task of combatting terrorism,” RSF Turkey representative Erol Önderoğlu said. “A complete overhaul of the terrorism law and a return to the rule of law would be of much greater help in combatting the real threats that Turkey faces. We call for the withdrawal of all charges against journalists and bloggers who are being prosecuted just for doing their job.”*

The new Turkey İshak Karakaş. Editor of the newspaper Halkın Nabzı

The new Turkey
İshak Karakaş.
Editor of the newspaper Halkın Nabzı