It has been reported that the editor-in-chief of Özgür Gelecek newspaper, Aslı Ceren Aslan, who was detained on Feb. 5, 2017 in Şanlıurfa, has been arrested days later with charge of “border violation” and “being a member of an [illegal] organization.”
According to a report in bianet.org, journalist Aslan was arrested four days after her detention on February 9. Aslan has denied the charges and stated that she had been trying to cross the borders to perform her journalistic duties by following up the latest developments in Syria and Rojava,
Journalist Aslan’s lawyer Kübra Gündüz said that Aslan was arrested by the court without showing any evidence. Lawyer Gündüz has also stated that journalist Aslan had been beaten in detention and forced to strip naked for examination in Ceylanpınar Gendarmerie Command and Şanlıurfa Anti-Terror Police Department.
Journalist Aslan was jailed at Şanlıurfa Type 2 Prison.
According to a report released by the Stockholm Center for Freedom (SCF) on Jan. 26, 2017, 191 journalists are either convicted and serving time in prison or jailed in pre-trial, and the most of the journalists have not even seen an indictment against them. The report also stated that 92 journalists are wanted for arrest but remain at large either in Turkey or abroad. The SCF has also said that the number of media organizations seized and shut down by the government has reached 189.
Feb. 22, 2017
