Journalist sentenced to 10 months in prison
Journalist sentenced to 10 months in prison
Journalist Saadet Irmak, owner and editorial manager of the weekly Yeni Yorum ('New Comment') magazine and the Ülkede Yorum ('Comment on the Country') newspaper was found guilty of "making propaganda for the PKK" (Kurdistan Workers' Party) and of "praising a criminal" and was handed down a 10 months prison sentence.
The final hearing was held on 26 May. Irmak's penalty was based on the Anti-Terror Law (TMY) and Article 215 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) on "praising an offender". Both the TMY and Article 215 TCK are reasons for systematic convictions of the Turkish government before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Irmak's lawyer Özcan Kýlýç reportedly filed an appeal against the decision.
The journalist was initially sentenced to imprisonment of one year on charges of "publishing statements of an illegal organization". This accusation was based on the two articles "All aspects of my life will be Kurdish" and "The last chance for a democratic solution" published in the 20-26 January 2010 issue of the Yeni Yorum magazine.
Reason for Irmak's prosecution was the publishing of an article that conveyed a government-critical statement of the Executive Board of the Union of Kurdistan Communities (KCK) on the Kurdish question. In the news the KCK Steering Board was quoted as saying that "the government neither properly evaluated nor made an earnest approach towards the conditions of a unilateral ceasefire that had been announced by the KCK for a peaceful solution of the Kurdish question. Instead of taking concrete steps towards a solution, the government carried on their exploitation", the announcement continued.
The final hearing was held on 26 May. Irmak's penalty was based on the Anti-Terror Law (TMY) and Article 215 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) on "praising an offender". Both the TMY and Article 215 TCK are reasons for systematic convictions of the Turkish government before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Irmak's lawyer Özcan Kýlýç reportedly filed an appeal against the decision.
The journalist was initially sentenced to imprisonment of one year on charges of "publishing statements of an illegal organization". This accusation was based on the two articles "All aspects of my life will be Kurdish" and "The last chance for a democratic solution" published in the 20-26 January 2010 issue of the Yeni Yorum magazine.
Reason for Irmak's prosecution was the publishing of an article that conveyed a government-critical statement of the Executive Board of the Union of Kurdistan Communities (KCK) on the Kurdish question. In the news the KCK Steering Board was quoted as saying that "the government neither properly evaluated nor made an earnest approach towards the conditions of a unilateral ceasefire that had been announced by the KCK for a peaceful solution of the Kurdish question. Instead of taking concrete steps towards a solution, the government carried on their exploitation", the announcement continued.
