Think, think Freedom of Expression Weekly Bulletin (Issue 27/17, 7 July 2017) What happened last week?

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1 Think, think Freedom of Expression Weekly Bulletin (Issue 27/17, 7 July 2017) What happened last week? *** Justice March has left three weeks behind. A board from the eople s Democratic arty (HD) has marched together with Kılıçdaroğlu on the 19th day. Republican eople s arty (CH) has applied to the European Court of Human Rights regarding the Constitutional referendum. Describing the march as a March of Unawareness, resident Erdoğan has indicated that he permits the march, whereas it will be intervened if necessary. Kılıçdaroğlu replied, This is our Constitutional right. There is no tolerance or favour when it is a right. *** European arliament has passed the resolution predicting the freezing of EU-Turkey negotiations. EU-member countries and the European Commission were asked to suspend negotiations officially and immediately in case the Constitutional amendment of April 16th enters into action as it is. *** Council of Judges and rosecutors has re-assigned 780 judges and prosecutors to new locations. Almost all of the Council s members are determined by resident Erdoğan after the Constitutional amendment. With its first decree, the council has exiled the Union of Judges. The Council has elected 14 new members to the Court of Appeals. *** The news on attacks against Afrin and Turkey preparing for an operation are still hot on debate. It was further asserted that Turkey is trying to establish a new army in Northern Syria by combining various groups it supports. eople s rotection Units (YG) has announced the military activity in Northern Syria is a declaration of war. *** Representatives from different human rights organizations have come together in Büyükada, Istanbul to hold meetings within a programme for the protection of human rights defenders. The representatives have been taken into custody in the hotel they were staying. National and international organizations have protested the incident; the U.S. made a statement, indicating their worries. (Details in the bulletin...) *** The hunger strike of Nuriye Gülmen and Semih Özakça has left four months behind. Gülmen now weighs 44 and Özakça 66 kilograms. The two educators now can not walk. All press statements around the Human Rights Monument under police blockade are banned. Support protests still continue. (Details in the bulletin...) *** Istanbul 29th High Criminal Court has accepted the indictment against seven journalists, four of them arrested, due to covering the news of the s belonging to Energy and Natural Resources Minister Berat Albayrak after being hacked by RedHack. The file of arrested Die Welt reporter Deniz Yücel has been separated from the files of the other defendant journalists. The first hearing of the case will be held on 24 October (Details in the bulletin...)

2 *** Justice and Development arty (AK) Diyarbakır Lice District Deputy Chairman Orhan Mercan and Van Özalp District Chairman Aydın Ahi have lost their lives in the armed attacks against them. KK has claimed the attack. *** Free Journalists Initiative has announced data on violations of press freedom in June with a press meeting organized at Human Rights Association (IHD) Diyarbakır Branch. According to the data by the Initiative, five journalists were detained and four journalists were arrested last month. 84 journalists stood trial within the lawsuits against them; nine journalists were sentenced to a total of 33 years, 9 months and 37 days of imprisonment and one journalist has been sentenced to 300 days of public service. (Details in the bulletin...) *** Istanbul Governorate has banned the 8th Trans ride March, to be organized within the 8th Trans ride Week, due to severely serious reactions from different sections of society Ankara Governorate bans press statements Ankara Governorate has banned all meetings and press statements on Yüksel Street and surroundings, where protests continue against dismissals with emergency decrees. The Governorate had previously banned protesting in evening hours. Claiming that the protests have a potential to spread in wider sections of society; hence endangering social safety; the Governorate s new ban decision is for 24 hours. The Human Rights Monument on Yüksel Street, where academic Nuriye Gülmen and teacher Semih Özakça have been on a sit-in protest with a clail to get their jobs back, had been surrounded with police barricade following the arrest of the two educators on May 23rd. The monument has become a symbol for the protests of the two educators on their 119th day of hunger strike. The monument is still surrounded by police barricade. ress statements to be made in front of the monument by sociologist Veli Saçılık, teachers Esra Özakça and Acun Karadağ are prevented every day by the police with violence.

3 Mass detainment against human rights defenders in Büyükada Representatives from various human rights organizations have gathered in Büyükada (the largest of the rince s Islands in the Marmara Sea) within the programme to protect human rights defenders. The representatives have been detained in the hotel they were staying. Nine representatives have been detained, including those from the Citizens Association, Women Coalition, Amnesty International, Human Rights Agenda Association and Monitoring Association for Equal Rights. The reasons for the detainments of one German and one Swedish educator are not known. The file has a restriction verdict against it. Constitutional Court: Long arrest reasonable and necessary in such conditions Four defendants, arrested pending trial due to the coup attempt in Turkey, have applied to the Constitutional Court, claiming a violation of their personal freedom and their right to security. The court has denied their application and announced the reasoned decision. The Court has decided that the continuity of the applicants arrest for 8 months and 18 days without a trial; only by the examination of their files, was a necessary and reasonable measure taken. In the decision, the State of Emergency has been defended to have the purpose of eliminating all threats and danger that is sourcing from

4 terrorism, besides the coup attempt. In order to fulfill the purpose, such measures could emerge, limiting basic rights and freedoms more than usual times, stated the Court. The Constitutional Court has also decided the use of encrypted communication application Bylock may stand as evidence to the charge of illegal organization membership. Yüksekdağ stands trial 242-day after detainment Figen Yüksekday had been taken into custody and arrested on 4 November 2016, while still the eople s Democratic arty (HD) Co-Chair, and has been imprisoned at Kocaeli Kandıra rison ever since. Yüksekdağ has stood trial for the first time since her arrest. The press statement to be made by Yüksekdağ s lawyers in front of the Constitutional Court before the hearing has been prevented by the police. Libertarian Lawyers latform member lawyers have attempted to come to Ankara from Istanbul for the hearing; whereas their buses have been separated to prevent them from arriving the location altogether. Other party members, on their way to the hearing as groups from different provinces, were not allowed in the city as well. reviously, a HD board including arliament members were prevented by the police from going to Kandıra rison, where Yüksekdağ was kept under arrest. HD s arrested Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş has not participated in the hearing of the case he is on trial at Ankara 35th Criminal Court of First Instance due to Article 301 of the Turkish enal Code, after the demand to bring him in with handcuffs. Arrested at Edirne rison since 4 November 2016, Demirtaş would stand in public for the first time. We will resist injustice in all circumstances, and we will protect the dignity of public will we represent, stated Demirtaş. The case has been postponed to November 24th.

5 HD M Ahmet Yıldırım sentenced due to insulting the resident Muş 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance has sentenced eople s Democratic arty (HD) Group Deputy Chairman Ahmet Yıldırım to 1 year and 2 months of imprisonment due to insulting the resident. The M has further been penalized with a ban on his political rights. Yıldırım was on trial due to his speech during a press statement on the curfew in Cizre, organized at central Muş on 12 September Columnist Mümtazer Türköne sentenced to imprisonment due to threatening resident Bakırköy 2nd High Criminal Court has sentenced Zaman Newspaper columnist Mümtazer Türköne to 4 years and 2 months of imprisonment due to threatening resident Erdoğan. Zaman Newspaper had previously been shut down and Türköne s column was entitled, Arınç puts the alace in tunnels in Sur. Türköne was arrested within the operation against Zaman Newspaper following the coup attempt; he is still imprisoned with the charge of serving the purposes of FETÖ.

6 RedHack indictment accepted: First hearing of six journalists on October 24 Istanbul 29th High Criminal Court has accepted the indictment against seven journalists, four of them arrested, due to covering the news of the s belonging to Energy and Natural Resources Minister Berat Albayrak after being hacked by RedHack. The indictment charges arrested Dicle News Agency (DIHA) News Director Ömer Çelik and other journalists Dihaber reporter Metin Yoksu, Etkin News Agency (ETHA) Editor- In-Chief Derya Okatan, Yolculuk Newspaper Managing Editor Eray Sargın with illegal organization propaganda; Diken s former news editor Tunca Öğreten and BirGün Newspaper Finance Director Mahir Kanaat with illegal organization membership. The file of arrested Die Welt reporter Deniz Yücel has been separated from the files of the other defendant journalists. The first hearing of the case will be held on 24 October th censorship: sendika.org applies to Guinness Records Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) has censored sendika.org website once again, with a decision issued on 4 July Sendika.org holds the record of being the most censored news website after DIHA News Agency, applying to Guinness Records committee. Sendika.org is struggling with censorship since 25 July 2015.

7 Four more journalists arrested in June Free Journalists Initiative has announced data on violations of press freedom in June with a press meeting organized at Human Rights Association (IHD) Diyarbakır Branch. According to the data by the Initiative, five journalists were detained and four journalists were arrested last month. 84 journalists stood trial within the lawsuits against them; nine journalists were sentenced to a total of 33 years, 9 months and 37 days of imprisonment and one journalist has been sentenced to 300 days of public service. New lawsuits have been filed against 24 journalists. Three news websites were banned to access eight times. Seven detained per day on average due to social media posts According to the data by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, a total of 511 people have been detained within the last ten weeks during operations due to social media posts. The Ministry has announced the examination of 6,146 social media accounts due to charges of illegal organization propaganda, insulting the resident and inciting people to hatred and hostility. THIS WEEK ON THE MUSEUM OF CRIMES OF THOUGHT

8 Stay tuned Follow the agenda in the most entertaining way with our regularly updated museum. olitics under State of Emergency The draft resolution predicting a suspension of negotiations with Turkey has passed the European arliament with 477 for votes. 12 people have been taken into custody during a meeting in Büyükada; including those from the Citizens Association, Women Coalition, Amnesty International, Human Rights Agenda Association and Monitoring Association for Equal Rights.

9 Freedom of Expression Istanbul 29th High Criminal Court has accepted the indictment against seven journalists, four of them arrested, due to covering the news of the s belonging to Energy and Natural Resources Minister Berat Albayrak after being hacked by RedHack. Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) has censored sendika.org website once again, with a decision issued on 4 July Sendika.org holds the record of being the most censored news website after DIHA News Agency, applying to Guinness Records committee. Sendika.org is struggling with censorship since 25 July Qatar Crisis Qatar has transmitted their response regarding the claims of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Qatar Minister of Foreign Affairs El Sani has pointed to the negotiation table for resolution. Forign Ministers of four countries will debate new steps. TRIALS OF FREEDOM OF EXRESSION

10 The case in which 46 people are on trial after denouncing themselves as a civil disobedience protest to support the Academics for eace, who had lawsuits against them due to signing the We Will Not artake In This Crime petition in Söke, Aydın; has continued on 5 July 2017 at 16:00 at Söke 2nd High Criminal Court. The case of the defendants, charged with illegal organization propaganda, has been postponed to November 9th. The next hearing of the case in which Özgür Gündem Editors-In-Chief on Duty Ertuğrul Mavioğlu, Faruk Eren, Celal Başlangıç, Ömer Ağın, İhsan Çaralan, Celalettin Can, Fehim Işık and Öncü Akgül are on trial has been held at Istanbul 13th High Criminal Court on 4 July 2017 at 10:00. The case has been postponed to October 26th. TRIALS NEXT WEEK The case of 24 people, seven of them arrested, have been taken into custody while protesting the referendum results of April 16th in Izmir. The defendants were released, including director, photographer, documentary maker, video activist and Street Collective founder Kazım Kızıl. Kızıl had been taken into custody while collecting news information during the protest. The case will be held on 10 July 2017 at 10:00 at the Izmir Bayraklı Courthouse. For detailed information on the lawsuits of freedom of expression: