A Turkish court on Monday handed down suspended sentences to three journalists and prominent human rights activist Eren Keskin who were tried on charges of terrorism for guest-editing Özgür Gündem, a now-defunct newspaper that had focused on Kurdish issues, and campaigning against efforts to censor it in 2016, Turkish Minute reported.
In August 2016 a court ordered the interim closure of Özgür Gündem for alleged links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), spreading “terrorist propaganda” on its behalf and waging a war against the state. The daily, which was known for its pro-Kurdish editorial line, was eventually shut down in 2016 by an emergency decree-law adopted by the government in the aftermath of a failed coup in July 2016.
The last hearing of the trial took place at the İstanbul 23rd High Criminal Court on Monday.
Lawyer and human rights activist Eren Keskin, the daily’s co-editor-in-chief, and two other executives of the daily, İnan Kızılkaya and Kemal Sancılı, were given suspended sentences of six years, three months on charges of terrorist organization membership, while the daily’s other co-editor-in-chief, Zana Bilir Kaya, was given a suspended sentence of two years, one month on charges of disseminating the propaganda of a terrorist organization.
Keskin, who is also the co-chairperson of Turkey’s Human Rights Association (İHD), expressed surprise over the verdicts on Twitter.
“I have been in the human rights movement for 30 years. I have stood trial many times and have been jailed many times for my views. But I have for the first time been sentenced on charges of terrorist organization membership. Six years, three months. I’m not going anywhere. I am here,” tweeted Keskin.
30 yıldır, İnsan Hakları hareketi içindeyim. Çok yargılandım, düşüncelerim nedeniyle cezaevinde kaldım. Ancak ilk kez, ‘silahlı örgüt üyesi’ sayılarak, ceza aldım. 6 yıl 3 ay. Hiç bir yere gitmeyeceğim. Buradayım. https://t.co/qqOn6CW2YZ
— Eren Keskin (@KeskinEren1) February 15, 2021
In a statement, Amnesty International described Keskin’s conviction as absurd. Human rights watchdog’s Turkey campaigner Milena Buyum said, “Today a human rights lawyer who has spoken out against injustice for more than three decades, has become the victim of injustice herself.”
“Eren Keskin has dedicated her life to defending the rights of women, prisoners and fought for justice for the families of the disappeared. This verdict is yet another shocking example of anti-terrorism laws being used to criminalize legitimate, peaceful activities,” Buyum added.
Turkish prosecutors launched investigations into 37 journalists, academics and activists for acting as “editors-in-chief on duty” for the Özgür Gündem daily in 2016. The intellectuals and press freedom activists launched the campaign in solidarity with the newspaper, which was under heavy government pressure, between May 3 and Aug. 7, 2016.
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