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ANKARA: Journalist Sener In Court For Book Criticising Security Forc

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  • ANKARA: Journalist Sener In Court For Book Criticising Security Forc

    JOURNALIST SENER IN COURT FOR BOOK CRITICISING SECURITY FORCES
    Erol Onderoglu [email protected]

    BIA Magazine
    June 11 2009
    Turkey

    The court case of journalist Sener has begun in Istanbul. IPI and
    the Turkey Journalists' Society have condemned current legislation,
    which makes such trials possible.

    The court case of Milliyet newspaper's journalist Nedim Sener began at
    Istanbul's 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance on Wednesday, 10 June.

    Sener is the author of a book entitled "The Dink Murder and
    Intelligence Lies". In the book, he writes about the negligence
    and attempts to cover up this negligence of gendarmerie, police and
    the Turkish secret service prior to the murder of Turkish-Armenian
    journalist Hrant Dink in 2007.

    Sener now faces a trial, without detention, because of the book. He
    attended the hearing with lawyer Yucel Dosemeci.

    Milliyet newspaper's editor-in-chief Sedat Ergin also attended the
    hearing in support of the journalist.

    Following the publication of the book, several police officers who
    filed criminal complaints against the writer: Ramazan Akyurek, then
    Chief of Police in Trabzon and still in office as Police Intelligence
    Unit Chief, Ali Fuat Yilmazer, then Police Intelligence C Unit Manager
    and now Istanbul Intelligence Unit Chief and Muhittin Zenit, the
    police officer who was responsible for police informant Erhan Tuncel,
    who is now accused of encouraging Ogun Samast to kill Hrant Dink.

    Another complaint was filed by Faruk Sari, Trabzon Police Intelligence
    Branch Manager.

    28 years demanded All in all, Sener faces 28 years imprisonment. He
    stands accused of "targeting people involved in anti-terrorism
    campaigns, revealing classified information, obtaining classified
    information, violating the secrecy of these communications, and
    attempting to influence the judiciary."

    In his defense, Sener said that he had not attempted to influence
    the judiciary, but had only tried to contribute to justice being done.

    He added that there could be no question of him violating secrecy;
    a simple Internet search would allow anyone to find the conversations
    between police informant Erhan Tuncel and police officer Muhittin
    Zenit. Furthermore, these conversations had been published in the
    media long before his book was written.

    Media faces increase in oppression The International Press Institute's
    National Committee published a statement in connection with Sener's
    trial, saying that the demand for 28 years imprisonment showed the
    increase in oppression of the media in Turkey.

    The committee said that last year's amendments to the controversial
    Law 301, which penalises the "denigration of the Turkish state or
    state organs", were insufficient:

    "Despite all our objections, the Turkish Penal Code, the Press Law
    and the Anti-Terrorism Law still contains articles which threaten
    the freedom of expression and press freedom."

    Urgent need for new legislation The committee further drew attention
    to the fact that not even Ogun Samast, the young man suspected of
    killing Hrant Dink, is facing such a steep sentence.

    They called on urgent changes to the current legislation, which
    threatens journalists with imprisonment.

    The Turkey Journalists' Society (TGC) emphasised that Sener was being
    tried in two cases, saying:

    "For freedom of expression to be protected and provided, first of
    all mentalities must change. This becomes clear with every case that
    goes to court. The laws which allow the trial of not only Sener but
    all journalists must be reconsidered from all dimensions."

    The society called on everyone to lobby for a change in
    legislation.
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