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Under Erdogan dictatorship Journalist Baransu faces 52 years in jail for coverage of MGK report

June 4, 2015 By administrator

Journalist Mehmet Baransu was arrested early in March on charges of obtaining classified state documents. (Photo: Today's Zaman, Kürşat Bayhan)

Journalist Mehmet Baransu was arrested early in March on charges of obtaining classified state documents. (Photo: Today’s Zaman, Kürşat Bayhan)

Journalist Mehmet Baransu, who was indicted for publishing classified documents from a 2004 National Security Council (MGK) meeting during which council members had discussed an action plan targeting the faith-based Gülen movement, is facing a prison term of 52 years, with the first hearing of his trial taking place at an İstanbul court on Wednesday.

The MGK document dated Aug. 25, 2004 persuades the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government to implement a series of measures to curb the activities of the Gülen movement, also known as the Hizmet movement. It advises the government to adopt legal measures that would impose harsh penalties on Gülen-affiliated institutions.

Immediately after Baransu’s report was published in the Taraf daily on Nov. 28, 2013, the Prime Ministry, the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) and the MGK filed a joint criminal complaint against the daily and Baransu for revealing confidential state documents. The complaint immediately turned into an investigation into the journalist, with Baransu facing charges of acquiring confidential documents crucial to state security, revealing information that is forbidden from being publicized and political and military espionage.

The first hearing of the trial was held at the Anatolia 10th High Criminal Court on Wednesday. Baransu, who is currently under arrest in Silivri Prison as a result of another investigation, did not attend the hearing.

Baransu was arrested by the İstanbul 5th Penal Court in March over documents he had submitted to prosecutors regarding the Sledgehammer (Balyoz) coup plot against the government in 2010.

Since November 2013, Taraf has published several confidential documents suggesting that the ruling AK Party and MİT have been profiling individuals linked to various religious and faith-based groups, mainly the Gülen movement, inspired by Turkish-Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen. The party confirmed the authenticity of the documents but argued that no action was taken to implement the policy prescriptions indicated therein.

In the indictment, the prosecutor’s office said although the entire contents of the Aug. 25, 2004 MGK meeting was required to be kept confidential, Baransu covered it on the front page of the newspaper, thus openly violating laws that provide a shield of secrecy for MGK meetings and documents.

In addition to Baransu, Taraf’s then-managing editor Murat Şevki Çoban is also implicated for his role in allowing Baransu’s story to be published. Çoban is also facing a prison term of 52 years.

Delivering his defense statement, Çoban said the report should be interpreted within the scope of press freedom. Stating that the exposure of a crime does not constitute a crime, Çoban sought his acquittal.

In the meantime, Baransu testified to a prosecutor at the İstanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan on Thursday based on a complaint by Esat Burak Uzundere, the user of pro-government Twitter troll account Esat Ç, known for posting insulting and inflammatory messages targeting people who do not support the AK Party.

Uzundere’s complaint was based on a Twitter post by Baransu on him on the grounds that Baransu had violated his privacy.

In one of his earlier tweets, Baransu revealed Esat Ç’s real identity as Uzundure, which was later confirmed by a court, and exposed his link to the AK Party.

Meanwhile, Baransu’s lawyer and family members were disappointed and upset that the journalist was taken to Çağlayan on Thursday, the only day that they are allowed to have an open visit.

Baransu’s lawyer Sercan Sakallı said the journalist had been taken to the courthouse while his family was waiting for an open visit with him in Silivri.

As he was being taken to courthouse, Baransu spoke to reporters waiting in the corridors of the courthouse, stating he has been kept in isolation for 98 days and that he is preparing his defense under difficult circumstances in prison.

The prosecution of journalist for their work or because of their criticisms of the government or President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has become almost a daily occurrence in Turkey, with dozens of them facing charges of insulting a state official or conducting terrorist propaganda.

Most recently, Cumhuriyet Editor-in-Chief Can Dündar is facing an aggravated life sentence as a result of a criminal complaint filed by Erdoğan on Tuesday for the publication of images that prove that arms were transferred to Syria by MİT.

The images contradict the government’s earlier claim that the trucks were only carrying humanitarian aid to Turkmens in the war-torn country.

Last week, journalist Erkam Tufan Aytav, who works for Bugün TV, testified to İstanbul Deputy Chief Public Prosecutor Fuzuli Aydoğdu as a suspect at the İstanbul Courthouse. Aytav did not give any information about the content of the investigation because it was confidential.

On the same day, another journalist, Aytekin Gezici, was also in court at the first hearing of a trial launched against him over charges of insulting President Erdoğan, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç and former Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ on social media.

In addition, journalists Mirgün Cabas, Koray Çalışkan and Banu Güven as well as TV host Pelin Batu were summoned by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office last week to testify as part of an investigation into their social media posts regarding the killing of a public prosecutor during a hostage crisis at the İstanbul Courthouse on March 31. The journalists are accused of conducting propaganda for a terrorist organization in their tweets on the day the prosecutor was killed.

Journalists facing legal action in Turkey today are just not limited to these figures, with dozens more who are either in prison or prosecuted.

Samanyolu Broadcasting Group General Manager Hidayet Karaca was taken into custody on Dec. 14, 2014 as part of a government-backed police operation. Karaca was later arrested and remains in prison on suspicion of being a member of an armed organization. The charges against him are based on a fictional TV series that was broadcast a few years ago.

Sedef Kabaş, a TV presenter, is facing a prison sentence of up to five years for posting a tweet about a corruption probe involving high-profile individuals.

Source: Zaman

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Baransu, Erdogan, jail, Journalist, Turkey

Baransu, MİT, Erdoğan and the end of journalism in #Turkey

March 5, 2015 By administrator

By İHSAN YILMAZ

The rule of law means that everyone, including journalists, can be tried before judicial courts.

Why would a judge imprison a journalist for news that he published several years ago who is no longer in a position to destroy any evidence since he submitted them all to the court at the time and who has not been running away from justice despite all forms of threats and constant arrest warrants? It is crystal clear that Erdoğan does not want critical journalism.

Baransu has not only been criticizing the government but also informing the public about the probable crimes of the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) in Uludere (Roboski) and the Reyhanlı bombings. This has obviously infuriated Erdoğan, who believes MİT is the most important state institution, as he told journalists on his way back from Saudi Arabia a few days ago. To him, it is not courts, schools, hospitals, Parliament and so on that is the most state institution but MİT, presenting us with yet another clue about his desire to change Turkey into an Assadist regime where the intelligence agency is the heart and brain of the state system.

Erdoğan was, of course, not happy. Only a few journalists have dared to question his dear MİT, and Baransu is among them. Erdoğan is now sending a message to all other journalists to know their place and behave.

MİT has been doing all forms of work for the Erdoğan regime. The Western media is full of reports about its activities. These are theoretically confidential activities but almost everyone, with the exception of Turkish citizens, knows what exactly MİT has been doing in Turkey and abroad. When Angela Merkel confessed that Germany has been wiretapping Turkish officials, Erdoğan, who had the nationalistic opportunity to roar and challenge Merkel, very softly and nicely stated that big powers do such things. This was very un-Erdoğan like! It is not difficult to guess that the German (and many other) states have enough concrete evidence against MİT and its owner, Erdoğan. Germany arrested three MİT officials a few months ago and Erdoğan has been paralyzed on this too. Libyan authorities accused Turkey of smuggling weapons to rebels and will stop the operations of Turkish contractors soon. This will cost the Turkish economy billions of dollars. There were accusations that Turkish Airlines (THY) was being used to carry weapons to Boko Haram.

Source: todayzaman

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Baransu, Erdogan, MIT, Turkey

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