Newspaper trial seen as litmus test for press freedom in Turkey

ANKARA: The trial of 17 journalists and managers of leading Turkish opposition newspaper Cumhuriyet began Monday on Turkey’s Press Freedom Day.

A large crowd outside the courthouse in Istanbul released balloons to express hope for the release of those on trial, accused of helping the illegal Gulen network — which is believed to have masterminded last year’s failed coup attempt — and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

The trial will continue throughout this week, and if the suspects are found guilty of aiding terrorist organizations and of espionage, they could face sentences of up to 43 years in jail.

The charges against Cumhuriyet include publishing “violent and divisive news” and “interviewing leaders of terrorist organizations.”

The historic trial is being watched by press freedom activists, observers and journalists worldwide.

Ten of the journalists have been in pre-trial detention for about nine months. On the first day of the trial, Kadri Gursel — editorial adviser at Cumhuriyet and board member at the International Press Institute — told the court that the trial is mainly political.

He rejected claims that he was in constant contact with members of the Gulen movement, saying he had warned the government about the wrongdoings of Gulenists within the state apparatus.

“I believe the reason those people tried getting in contact with me at that time was because I’m an independent and critical journalist,” Gursel said, adding that their attempts to get his support failed.

“Journalists are curious people and they can have contact with anyone. The duty of a journalist who takes his or her job seriously is to broaden and diversify his or her perceptions about important issues in the country, and to then provide to the readers a healthy, holistic and sound perspective. This is called journalism, and journalism isn’t a crime.”

The newspaper’s Chief Executive Akin Atalay said “the aim of the trial is to silence Cumhuriyet or seize it,” and it shows “other journalists what will happen if they write what the government doesn’t like.”

On the first anniversary of the failed coup attempt, Turkey is witnessing a massive crackdown, especially in the media sector, with about 150 outlets shut down and some 165 journalists imprisoned. The country’s state of emergency was recently extended.

But earlier this month, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the BBC that “no one is jailed because of journalism” in Turkey.

He said two journalists have been tried due to their criminal and terrorist activities, not their writing.

Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, Ankara office director of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, said the Cumhuriyet case is very important because to many in Turkey and worldwide, it has become emblematic of press freedom in the country.

“The fact that several prominent journalists have been kept in pre-trial detention for eight months is problematical in itself, but it’s very important that the case proceeds in a way that won’t further create a sense of injustice in Turkish society,” Unluhisarcikli told Arab News. “In this regard, it’s important that none of the journalists are kept in detention unless there’s substantial and real evidence against them.”

The trial, considered a litmus test for press freedom in Turkey, is expected to reach an interim decision on Friday, but the trial itself may last several months.

Kader Sevinc, representative to the EU of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), told Arab News that the case is “highly symbolic.”

He added: “Today’s picture of Turkish democracy is a painful one, and the EU isn’t blameless. The decline of the EU’s soft power has had damaging reverberations in Turkey.

“Cumhuriyet is one of the few resisting media outlets. That’s why they’re on trial. This case isn’t only about criminalizing journalism but also Turkey’s republican, secular past and suppressing … free minds. History will judge the EU by its … engagement and sincere actions today, not by weakly worded press statements from Brussels and other capitals about a country that’s the biggest jailer in the world and where there’s no free press anymore.

“European decision-makers should understand that if there’s a fire in Turkey, there can be no peace in Europe.”