AMED - Press professional organizations made a call for solidarity for arrested journalists Abdurrahman Gök and Mehmet Şah Oruç, whose first hearing will be held tomorrow.

 

Mezopotamya Agency (MA) editor Abdurrahman Gök and journalist Mehmet Şah Oruç, who were detained and arrested on April 25 within the scope of the investigation carried out by the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, have been held in prison for approximately 5 months. His first hearing will be held on September 14 at Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court with the acceptance of the indictment prepared against Gök for "being a member of a terrorist organization" and "propagandizing for a terrorist organization". Mehmet Şah Oruç will appear before the judge at Bitlis 2nd High Criminal Court on the same day, after the indictment prepared for "being a member of a terrorist organization" is accepted.

 

Press professional organizations, which made a call before the hearings of Gök and Oruç to be held on September 14, stated that journalism was on trial and called for solidarity.

 

MLSA: ANONYMOUS WITNESS WAS FABRICATED

 

Stating that they will be present at the hearing, Media and Legal Studies Association (MLSA) Co-Director Veysel Ok said: "In the indictment prepared against journalists, their news and news interviews were shown as crimes. The action was taken with 'hate' and 'revenge' against the journalist Gök, who took the photo of Kemal Kurkut who was murdered during Amed Newroz and revealed the rights violations of state officials. An anonymous witness was fabricated for Gök's detention. This witness was included in the file to legitimize Gök's detention. The anonymous witness makes contradictory statements about Gök. The same situation happened to 15 journalists. We cannot consider these arrests independently of them."

 

Underlining that Mehmet Şah Oruç and Abdurrahman Gök should be released in the first hearing, Ok called for press professional groups, journalists and non-governmental organizations to attend and follow the hearing for freedom of expression and press.

 

TGS: JOURNALISTS ARE ARRESTED WITH FALSE STATEMENTS

 

Gökhan Durmuş, President of the Turkish Journalists Union (TGS), drew attention that journalistic activities have been "terrorized" recently. Reminding that journalists Gök and Oruç have been held in prison for months due to their journalistic activities, Durmuş said: “Journalists are being imprisoned based on the statements of witnesses and false statements in the file. Therefore, Abdurrahman Gök should be released at the hearing to be held on September 14. There is no crime, nothing but false statements. It is unacceptable to deprive a person of his freedom based on false statements. We want the journalists to be released on September 14."

 

BASIN-İŞ: WE WILL GET OVER THE DARK DAYS

 

Faruk Eren, President of the Confederation of Revolutionary Trade Unions of Labor (DİSK) Press and Printing House Employees Union (Basın-İş), said: "The journalists should be released at the first hearing. In all such cases, journalists are arrested with various excuses, false allegations, and allegations other than journalism. Everyone knows what the truth is. Gök pays the price for his Kemal Kurkut photo on Newroz. Journalists were subjected to more severe pressures. These pressures should not discourage young colleagues. We will get over these dark days in solidarity and struggle together as a society. The journalists should be released, I called on all MY colleagues for solidarity."

 

MA / Müjdat Can