Journalist Nurcan Yalçın’s home was raided by police in the early hours on the morning of February 4th. The journalist was detained and taken to the Diyarbakir Counter-Terrorism Directorate, Jinnews reported. The reason for the journalist’s detention is not yet known. Turkish authorities put a 24-hour restriction against Nurcan Yalçın seeing her attorneys.
Journalist Organizations and Unions Demand Nurcan Yalçın’s Immediate Release
DISK/Basın-İş journalists union and Women in Journalism Coalition announced the arrest of journalist Nurcan Yalcin in a police raid in the early hours of the morning of February 4th. They demand Yalçın’s immediate release.
Journalist Nurcan Yalçın’s home was raided by police in the early hours on the morning of February 4th. The journalist was detained and taken to the Diyarbakir Counter-Terrorism Directorate, Jinnews reported. The reason for the journalist’s detention is not yet known. Turkish authorities put a 24-hour restriction against Nurcan Yalçın seeing her attorneys.
Nurcan Yalçın was previously indicted on charges of “being a member of an (illegal) organization” and also “spreading series of propaganda for an (illegal) organization” as part of an investigation into the Rosa Women’s Association. After six hearings in the Diyarbakir 9th Criminal Court, the journalist was sentenced to two years and one month in prison for allegedly “knowingly and willfully assisting the (illegal) organization” and also one year, six months and 22 days for “spreading propaganda.” The court also ordered the journalist to be under judicial control.
A secret witness testimony that the journalist was working with the Rosa Women’s Association, a legal institution, was used to charge her. A membership document confiscated in a police raid on the legal and open association, and her social media posts were considered criminal.
In addition, a lawsuit against the journalist, along with her colleagues Rojda Aydın and Halime Parlak, is continuing, accusing the defendants of doing journalistic activities. Nurcan Yalçın, along with other reporter colleagues, is on trial on charges of “Unarmed and peaceful participating in ‘Unlawful Meetings and Marches and Not Dispersing Spontaneously Despite Warnings’ “.
Organizations and unions demand Yalçın’s immediate release.
The Women in Journalism Coalition issued a statement about the detention of the journalist that read:
As the Women’s Coalition in Journalism, we demand Nurcan’s immediate release. In Turkey, especially recently, the pressures on journalists have increased greatly, and these intimidation and silencing policies have reached an extremely alarming level. The rule of law is almost ignored in Turkey. These moves towards freedom of the press and expression are unacceptable.
Basın-İş, the journalist union of DISK, the Confederation of Progressive Labor Unions, protested the detention in a press release: “Journalist Nurcan Yalçın was detained in Diyarbakır in the early hours of the morning in a raid on her home. The journalist was taken to TEM Branch (Anti-Terrorism Department of the Police Force in Turkey) and given a 24-hour ban on seeing her lawyer. Release Nurcan Yalcin immediately!”
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