After the last session at the court journalist Aziz Oruç received 2 years and a month of prison sentence for the high crime of “propaganda.”

Reporter Oruç was detained on December 11th 2019 in the Doğubeyazıt town of Ağrı, in the eastern part of Turkey where the Kurdish population is the majority. After his detention and the accusation levelled to him for “propaganda of an organization” he was arrested by the court awaiting his court trials. He was sent to Patnos prison while his case was pending.

During his initial hearing Oruç was also charged for being a member of an illegal terrorist organization, an accusation slapped against nearly all opposition journalists by the AKP government.

The government also broadened the case by involving the major opposition party HDP’s co-president of Doğubeyazıt, Abdullah Ekelek, and arresting him as well.

The reporter has had the government wrath on him for his oppositional reporting for years. He was arrested back in 2017 for participating in press releases and the demonstrations he had attended. Turkish government does not consider even the peaceful press releases to be such and considers them to be terrorist activities.

Oruç had to leave Turkey to escape being imprisoned for the press releases he had participated. He lived abroad in Kurdistan for a while and as he attempted to cross the border between Iran and Armenia he was captured and turned over to Iran. He was trying to get to Europe to escape the persecution.

Oruç went through torture while in the hands of the Armenian authorities and before being handed to Iran the officials said, “We will give you to Iran and they will execute you.” He was expected to be either shot or left to freeze in harsh winter conditions.

Iran, not knowing what to do with him, literally threw him into Turkey across the border line. He was then captured by the Turkish security forces. Being an opposition journalist made the matters worse of course. Turkey has the highest number of journalists behind bars in the world. All of them being investigative, honest, independent and, of course, opposition authors, writers and journalists.

Aziz Oruç started working for the Dicle News Agency before it was shut down by the government with a presidential decree with no due process.

Many journalist organizations condemned the government’s shutting down of the news agency and the arrest of one of its reporters.

In response to the government’s accusations of being a terrorist, Oruç said, “My only weapon is my camera.”

Yesterday, the last and the tenth hearing against Oruç took place in the Diyarbakır 9th court. The reporter participated in the trial through the electronic court system from the Potnas prison where he is being held. Oruç’s lawyer and his father were present in the hearing.

The prosecutor wanted the journalist to be charged for propagandizing for an illegal organization not only because of his reporting but also for his social media posts. He requested the accused to receive a prison sentence between 10 months and 5 years.

Oruç, for his defense said he was only doing his job as a reporter. He stated that even his social media posts and shares were in the context of disseminating news. He insisted that none of his shares were for propaganda.

The judges however, following the party line of the government and sentenced the journalist to 2 years and one month behind bars.

Sendika.Org News (M.B.)