The new Turkey Derya Okatan. Ankara-based reporter for the online news platform Artı Gerçek
10-Oct-2019 8:09
24 September 2019: “RedHack trial” against 6 journalists adjourned until February The “RedHack Trial,” where six journalists stand accused of “disseminating propaganda for a terrorist organization,” “hindrance or destruction of a data processing system,” “aiding a terrorist organization without being its member” and “terrorist group membership” for their coverage of the emails of Minister Berat Albayrak leaked by RedHack, resumed on 24 September 2019 at an Istanbul court. This was the eighth hearing of journalists Derya Okatan, Tunca Öğreten, Mahir Kanaat, Eray Sargın, Metin Yoksu and Ömer Çelik. Defendants Tunca Öğreten, Mahir Kanaat and Eray Sargın were in attendance in the courtroom along with their lawyers. Minister Albayrak’s lawyer Ahmet Özel, who had submitted a letter of excuse, was not present. P24 and the Turkey representative of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) were among those who monitored the hearing. Due to the presiding judge being on leave, judge Barış Öztürk was in charge instead, announcing the arrival of the long-awaited expert report confirming that all the devices confiscated from the defendants had been fully examined. Also informing that the two separate court panels of the 29th High Criminal Court of Istanbul had been merged, Öztürk said that judges from the other panel would now be serving on this trial’s panel. The presiding judge then asked the defendants for their statements concerning the digital forensics report. Addressing the court first, Tunca Öğreten recounted how he was arrested over the allegation of being a member of DHKP-C (the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front) but after no evidence to support this claim could be found, he was accused of “aiding a terrorist organization without being its member” and “disclosing state secrets” instead. Lastly Öğreten asked for the return of his digital devices and the lifting of his international travel ban. Addressing the court next, Kanaat and Sargın also requested the return of their digital devices, the judicial control measures to be lifted and to be held exempt from appearing in court. Lawyer Özcan Kılıç, representing Metin Yoksu and Ömer Çelik, told the court that his client Çelik could not attend the hearing because he had just received the news that his father had passed away. Kılıç requested the return of the digital devices, including the cellphone of Çelik’s father, which was confiscated during Çelik’s arrest. Other defense lawyers also asked their clients to be held exempt from appearing in court, the return of the digital equipment and the lifting of the judicial control measures imposed on their clients. Presiding judge Öztürk told those present that the court would be willing to grant temporary permission in case the defendants applied to attend the like of a seminar or a wedding abroad. The panel then went into a five-minute for recess to deliberate on its interim ruling. Issuing its interim ruling at the end of the hearing, the court ordered the continuation of the international travel ban imposed on all six journalists and rejected the request for the defendants to be held exempt from appearing in court. The court also ordered for the confiscated digital equipment to be returned to the defendants and adjourned the trial until 6 February 2020 to allow time for the examination of the digital forensic report. 21 February 2019: Journalist Derya Okatan briefly detained over social media posts Derya Okatan, an Ankara-based reporter for the online news platform Artı Gerçek, was taken into custody on 21 February during a police raid on her home. Okatan was taken to the anti-terror branch of the police department, which released the journalist after taking her statement. Okatan was detained on account of her social media posts, on the allegation that she “disseminated propaganda for the PKK” and was “a member of the MLKP [Marxist Leninist Communist Party].” 8 January 2019: “RedHack trial” adjourned until April The trial into journalists Tunca Öğreten, Mahir Kanaat, Ömer Çelik, Metin Yoksu, Derya Okatan and Eray Sargın on account of their coverage of Minister Berat Albayrak’s emails that were leaked by the hacker group Redhack resumed on 8 January at the 29th High Criminal Court of Istanbul. Öğreten, Okatan, Kanaat and their lawyers were in attendance in the courtroom during the hearing, which was monitored by P24. Çelik and Yoksu, who were not in Istanbul, addressed the court via SEGBİS. The prosecution requested the continuation of the judicial control measures imposed on the journalists. Addressing the court following the prosecutor, the journalists requested for their digital equipment confiscated during the investigation to be returned, their international travel ban to be lifted, and to be granted exemption from personal attendance in court. In its interim ruling at the end of the hearing, the court rejected the requests and adjourned the trial until 16 April, awaiting an expert report concerning the digital equipment. 13 September 2018: “RedHack trial” into 6 journalists adjourned On 13 September, the latest hearing took place in the trial into journalists Tunca Öğreten, Mahir Kanaat, Ömer Çelik, Metin Yoksu, Derya Okatan and Eray Sargın on account of their coverage of Minister Berat Albayrak’s emails that were leaked by the hacker group Redhack. P24 monitored the hearing at the 29th High Criminal Court of Istanbul, where Öğreten, Kanaat, Okatan and Sargın and their lawyers were in attendance. Çelik and Yoksu did not attend. Addressing the court during the hearing, Öğreten requested for his computer and his mobile phone that had been confiscated during the investigation to be returned. He also requested for his international travel ban to be lifted. Kanaat and Okatan also requested that their digital material be returned while Sargın requested that the judicial control measures imposed on him be lifted. Okatan’s lawyer Ali Koç told the court that the investigation on digital equipment should be conducted via forensic images rather than the equipment itself. Koç also demanded that Okatan’s international travel ban is lifted. Defense lawyer Sevgi Kalan Güvercin, who is representing Öğreten and Kanaat, also demanded that the judicial control measures imposed on the defendants be lifted. Noting that his client is an amateur stage actor, Sargın’s lawyer Erman Öztürk said the travel ban imposed on his client prevented him from taking part in overseas performances by his company, and demanded the lifting of the ban. The prosecutor said it was not clear in the case file whether forensic images from digital equipment have been taken or not, and demanded that the court reject those requests. Announcing its interim decision after a brief recess, the court rejected the defendants’ requests and ordered that Yoksu and Çelik be forcibly brought before the court for the next hearing and adjourned the trial until 8 January 2019. 30 December 2016: Detention periods for detained journalists extended The detention periods for six journalists detained on December 25 were extended to 30 days, independent news outlet Bianet reported. Ömer Çelik, Metin Yoksu, Derya Okatan, Eray Saygın, Mahir Kanaat, and Tunca Öğreten were arrested for alleged connections to Redhack, a group claiming to be behind the leaked emails of a Turkish minister. The journalists had reportedly been denied access to a lawyer for five days. Lawyer Özcan Kılıç told Bianet that he was finally given access to Çelik, Okatan, and Yoksu today, adding that Okatan is on a hunger strike in protest of the charges.

The new Turkey
Derya Okatan.
Ankara-based reporter for the online news platform Artı Gerçek

10-Oct-2019 8:09

24 September 2019:

“RedHack trial” against 6 journalists adjourned until February

The “RedHack Trial,” where six journalists stand accused of “disseminating propaganda for a terrorist organization,” “hindrance or destruction of a data processing system,” “aiding a terrorist organization without being its member” and “terrorist group membership” for their coverage of the emails of Minister Berat Albayrak leaked by RedHack, resumed on 24 September 2019 at an Istanbul court.

This was the eighth hearing of journalists Derya Okatan, Tunca Öğreten, Mahir Kanaat, Eray Sargın, Metin Yoksu and Ömer Çelik. Defendants Tunca Öğreten, Mahir Kanaat and Eray Sargın were in attendance in the courtroom along with their lawyers. Minister Albayrak’s lawyer Ahmet Özel, who had submitted a letter of excuse, was not present. P24 and the Turkey representative of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) were among those who monitored the hearing.

Due to the presiding judge being on leave, judge Barış Öztürk was in charge instead, announcing the arrival of the long-awaited expert report confirming that all the devices confiscated from the defendants had been fully examined. Also informing that the two separate court panels of the 29th High Criminal Court of Istanbul had been merged, Öztürk said that judges from the other panel would now be serving on this trial’s panel.

The presiding judge then asked the defendants for their statements concerning the digital forensics report.

Addressing the court first, Tunca Öğreten recounted how he was arrested over the allegation of being a member of DHKP-C (the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front) but after no evidence to support this claim could be found, he was accused of “aiding a terrorist organization without being its member” and “disclosing state secrets” instead. Lastly Öğreten asked for the return of his digital devices and the lifting of his international travel ban.

Addressing the court next, Kanaat and Sargın also requested the return of their digital devices, the judicial control measures to be lifted and to be held exempt from appearing in court.

Lawyer Özcan Kılıç, representing Metin Yoksu and Ömer Çelik, told the court that his client Çelik could not attend the hearing because he had just received the news that his father had passed away. Kılıç requested the return of the digital devices, including the cellphone of Çelik’s father, which was confiscated during Çelik’s arrest.

Other defense lawyers also asked their clients to be held exempt from appearing in court, the return of the digital equipment and the lifting of the judicial control measures imposed on their clients.

Presiding judge Öztürk told those present that the court would be willing to grant temporary permission in case the defendants applied to attend the like of a seminar or a wedding abroad.

The panel then went into a five-minute for recess to deliberate on its interim ruling.

Issuing its interim ruling at the end of the hearing, the court ordered the continuation of the international travel ban imposed on all six journalists and rejected the request for the defendants to be held exempt from appearing in court. The court also ordered for the confiscated digital equipment to be returned to the defendants and adjourned the trial until 6 February 2020 to allow time for the examination of the digital forensic report.

21 February 2019:

Journalist Derya Okatan briefly detained over social media posts
Derya Okatan, an Ankara-based reporter for the online news platform Artı Gerçek, was taken into custody on 21 February during a police raid on her home.

Okatan was taken to the anti-terror branch of the police department, which released the journalist after taking her statement. Okatan was detained on account of her social media posts, on the allegation that she “disseminated propaganda for the PKK” and was “a member of the MLKP [Marxist Leninist Communist Party].”

8 January 2019:

“RedHack trial” adjourned until April
The trial into journalists Tunca Öğreten, Mahir Kanaat, Ömer Çelik, Metin Yoksu, Derya Okatan and Eray Sargın on account of their coverage of Minister Berat Albayrak’s emails that were leaked by the hacker group Redhack resumed on 8 January at the 29th High Criminal Court of Istanbul. Öğreten, Okatan, Kanaat and their lawyers were in attendance in the courtroom during the hearing, which was monitored by P24. Çelik and Yoksu, who were not in Istanbul, addressed the court via SEGBİS.

The prosecution requested the continuation of the judicial control measures imposed on the journalists. Addressing the court following the prosecutor, the journalists requested for their digital equipment confiscated during the investigation to be returned, their international travel ban to be lifted, and to be granted exemption from personal attendance in court. In its interim ruling at the end of the hearing, the court rejected the requests and adjourned the trial until 16 April, awaiting an expert report concerning the digital equipment.

13 September 2018:

“RedHack trial” into 6 journalists adjourned

On 13 September, the latest hearing took place in the trial into journalists Tunca Öğreten, Mahir Kanaat, Ömer Çelik, Metin Yoksu, Derya Okatan and Eray Sargın on account of their coverage of Minister Berat Albayrak’s emails that were leaked by the hacker group Redhack.

P24 monitored the hearing at the 29th High Criminal Court of Istanbul, where Öğreten, Kanaat, Okatan and Sargın and their lawyers were in attendance. Çelik and Yoksu did not attend.

Addressing the court during the hearing, Öğreten requested for his computer and his mobile phone that had been confiscated during the investigation to be returned. He also requested for his international travel ban to be lifted.

Kanaat and Okatan also requested that their digital material be returned while Sargın requested that the judicial control measures imposed on him be lifted.

Okatan’s lawyer Ali Koç told the court that the investigation on digital equipment should be conducted via forensic images rather than the equipment itself. Koç also demanded that Okatan’s international travel ban is lifted.

Defense lawyer Sevgi Kalan Güvercin, who is representing Öğreten and Kanaat, also demanded that the judicial control measures imposed on the defendants be lifted.

Noting that his client is an amateur stage actor, Sargın’s lawyer Erman Öztürk said the travel ban imposed on his client prevented him from taking part in overseas performances by his company, and demanded the lifting of the ban.

The prosecutor said it was not clear in the case file whether forensic images from digital equipment have been taken or not, and demanded that the court reject those requests.

Announcing its interim decision after a brief recess, the court rejected the defendants’ requests and ordered that Yoksu and Çelik be forcibly brought before the court for the next hearing and adjourned the trial until 8 January 2019.

30 December 2016:

Detention periods for detained journalists extended

The detention periods for six journalists detained on December 25 were extended to 30 days, independent news outlet Bianet reported. Ömer Çelik, Metin Yoksu, Derya Okatan, Eray Saygın, Mahir Kanaat, and Tunca Öğreten were arrested for alleged connections to Redhack, a group claiming to be behind the leaked emails of a Turkish minister. The journalists had reportedly been denied access to a lawyer for five days. Lawyer Özcan Kılıç told Bianet that he was finally given access to Çelik, Okatan, and Yoksu today, adding that Okatan is on a hunger strike in protest of the charges.

The new Turkey Derya Okatan. Ankara-based reporter for the online news platform Artı Gerçek

“RedHack trial” against 6 journalists adjourned until February

The new Turkey
Derya Okatan.
Ankara-based reporter for the online news platform Artı Gerçek