DİYARBAKIR - Imprisoned DFG Co-Chair Serdar Altan, regarding the first hearing to be held on 11 July, said, "We will not be on trial in this case, but will be held accountable. For this reason, everyone should add a voice to our voice.”

 

As part of an Amed-based investigation, 22 people, including 20 journalists, were detained in house and workplace raids on June 8, 2022. 16 journalists out of 22 people who were held in custody for 8 days were arrested on the charge of "being a member of a terrorist organization" by the court on June 16. JINNEWS Manager Safiye Alağaş, whose file has been separated, was released at the first hearing of the case last month. The first hearing of 18 journalists, 15 of whom were imprisoned, for whom an indictment was prepared on March 12 10 months later, will be held at the Diyarbakır 4th High Criminal Court 13 months later on July 11.

 

Serdar Altan, co-chairperson of the Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFG), who was imprisoned within the scope of the case, called on the public to attend the hearing with a letter.

 

Stating that they were arrested together with their colleagues for their journalistic activities, Altan said regarding the indictment prepared 10 months later: "We saw in the indictment that this is not a legal accusation, it is a specially ordered fiction, a scenario." Emphasizing that the indictment was 'forced'. I did not make a program for a television broadcasting abroad, my statements as DFG Co-chairperson, and the interviews I gave to the press and agencies were made the subject of accusation. Even the commemoration of Apê Musa was made the subject of accusation. It was not hoped for help from these, that secret witnesses were also derived and said that we went to our workplace. We are faced with such a comedy.”

 

Noting that even his guests participating in the program were shown as “crimes” by secret witnesses, Altan said: "We are journalists and that it is in the nature of journalism to receive guests. We should be released at the first hearing. Our aim was to remove journalists from the area, but we continued our professional activities and produced them in the prison where we were detained."

 

'JOURNALISTS MUST FIGHT TOGETHER'

 

Noting that the re-elected government continues to be hostile to freedom of thought, expression and press, Altan drew attention to the arrest of journalist Merdan Yanardağ and said: “We are facing difficulties within the scope of freedom of expression and thought in the upcoming period. We need to fight against it stronger. We need to fight harder by working harder to eliminate this bad trend. We, the journalists, can ensure freedom of press and expression only by growing struggle and solidarity together."

 

CALL TO ATTEND THE PUBLIC TRIAL

 

Calling for participation in the first hearing of the trial, which he described as "fiction", to be held on July 11, Altan said: "We will not be on trial in this case, we will take place as those who ask for an account. It is important to show solidarity with our journalist friends, press organizations, democratic institutions and organizations, and with us, the journalists, who try to be their voice and breath in the context of the public's right to receive information. That's why everyone should add a voice to our voice by being in the courtroom. Journalism is not a crime.”