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IPI'S "PRESS HERO" NEDIM SENER ACQUITTED
BIAnet.org
June 7 2010
Turkey
Journalist Nedim Sener was acquitted in the case on his book "The Dink
murder and the intelligence lies". Sener had been facing imprisonment
of up to three years. The International Press Institute chose Sener
as one of the international "press heroes".
Erol ONDEROGLU [email protected] Istanbul - BIA News Center07 June
2010, Monday The Istanbul 11th High Criminal Court acquitted Milliyet
newspaper reporter Nedim Å~^ener in the case related to his book
entitled "The Dink murder and the intelligence lies". Å~^ener stood
accused of "violation of secrecy" and "identifying officials on
anti-terrorist duties as targets".
In the book, he wrote 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.
In the previous hearing on 28 April, the prosecutor had demanded a
three-year prison sentence for Å~^ener under charges of "identifying
people as targets for terror organizations". He was sued by Ramazan
Akyurek, then Chief of Police in Trabzon (Black Sea coast), Ali Fuat
Yılmazer, Deputy Chief of the Istanbul Police, intelligence police
officer Muhittin Zenit and Intelligence Branch Manager of the Trabzon
Police Directorate Faruk Sarı.
The complaint was filed with Å~^ener because he "obtained and published
confidential information" based on the transcript of a phone call
between police informant Zenit and Erhan Tuncel half an hour after
the murder of Hrant Dink.
Court: Dink file cannot be confidential However, in the hearing on
4 June, the court announced that the names of the complainants and
some of their code names were included in the Hrant Dink murder trial
file at the Istanbul 14th High Criminal Court and thus confidentiality
had been lifted anyways.
Å~^ener's lawyer Yucel DöÅ~_emeci requested the acquittal of his
client.
In his final plea he reiterated his demand not to punish Å~^ener
because of a violation of secrecy. "If it is not a violation of
secrecy to publish the documents, how can it be seen as a breach of
law to publish the included information?" DöÅ~_emeci asked.
DöÅ~_emeci stated that his client merely took the effort for the
public benefit to disclose illegal implementations of public offices
regarding a murder case that is being followed in the whole world.
Å~^ener one of IPI's press heroes, awarded by the Turkish Publishers
Association DöÅ~_emeci drew attention to the fact that due to
his book Å~^ener was among a group of 60 journalists chosen as
international "press heroes" by the International Press Institute
(IPI). Moreover, Å~^ener received the Award for Press Freedom from
the Turkish Publishers Association (TYB) on 3 June.
In the hearing on Friday, intelligence officer Muhittin Zenit claimed
to punish Å~^ener, putting forward that he was being harmed because
his codename used for 15 years was disclosed in the book
In the hearing on 24 April, Å~^ener had presented a banner to the
court, showing Hrant Dink and an elderly women in Erivan under the
heading "1,500,000 + 1" (in reference to the killing of Armenians by
the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century). Å~^ener criticized,
"Look, the world cares for the Hrant Dink murder much more than we
do. We are even sued for writing about the extent of the unlawfulness
related to the murder".
Defence lawyer Seyfettin Uzuncakmak demanded the punishment of
complainants Yılmazer and Sarı under article 6/1 of the Anti-Terror
Law (Disclosure and Publication). However, Prosecutor Celal Kara
objected.
After a brief intermission, the court announced its verdict and said
that there was no basis for a conviction. (EO/VK)
From: A. Papazian
BIAnet.org
June 7 2010
Turkey
Journalist Nedim Sener was acquitted in the case on his book "The Dink
murder and the intelligence lies". Sener had been facing imprisonment
of up to three years. The International Press Institute chose Sener
as one of the international "press heroes".
Erol ONDEROGLU [email protected] Istanbul - BIA News Center07 June
2010, Monday The Istanbul 11th High Criminal Court acquitted Milliyet
newspaper reporter Nedim Å~^ener in the case related to his book
entitled "The Dink murder and the intelligence lies". Å~^ener stood
accused of "violation of secrecy" and "identifying officials on
anti-terrorist duties as targets".
In the book, he wrote 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.
In the previous hearing on 28 April, the prosecutor had demanded a
three-year prison sentence for Å~^ener under charges of "identifying
people as targets for terror organizations". He was sued by Ramazan
Akyurek, then Chief of Police in Trabzon (Black Sea coast), Ali Fuat
Yılmazer, Deputy Chief of the Istanbul Police, intelligence police
officer Muhittin Zenit and Intelligence Branch Manager of the Trabzon
Police Directorate Faruk Sarı.
The complaint was filed with Å~^ener because he "obtained and published
confidential information" based on the transcript of a phone call
between police informant Zenit and Erhan Tuncel half an hour after
the murder of Hrant Dink.
Court: Dink file cannot be confidential However, in the hearing on
4 June, the court announced that the names of the complainants and
some of their code names were included in the Hrant Dink murder trial
file at the Istanbul 14th High Criminal Court and thus confidentiality
had been lifted anyways.
Å~^ener's lawyer Yucel DöÅ~_emeci requested the acquittal of his
client.
In his final plea he reiterated his demand not to punish Å~^ener
because of a violation of secrecy. "If it is not a violation of
secrecy to publish the documents, how can it be seen as a breach of
law to publish the included information?" DöÅ~_emeci asked.
DöÅ~_emeci stated that his client merely took the effort for the
public benefit to disclose illegal implementations of public offices
regarding a murder case that is being followed in the whole world.
Å~^ener one of IPI's press heroes, awarded by the Turkish Publishers
Association DöÅ~_emeci drew attention to the fact that due to
his book Å~^ener was among a group of 60 journalists chosen as
international "press heroes" by the International Press Institute
(IPI). Moreover, Å~^ener received the Award for Press Freedom from
the Turkish Publishers Association (TYB) on 3 June.
In the hearing on Friday, intelligence officer Muhittin Zenit claimed
to punish Å~^ener, putting forward that he was being harmed because
his codename used for 15 years was disclosed in the book
In the hearing on 24 April, Å~^ener had presented a banner to the
court, showing Hrant Dink and an elderly women in Erivan under the
heading "1,500,000 + 1" (in reference to the killing of Armenians by
the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century). Å~^ener criticized,
"Look, the world cares for the Hrant Dink murder much more than we
do. We are even sued for writing about the extent of the unlawfulness
related to the murder".
Defence lawyer Seyfettin Uzuncakmak demanded the punishment of
complainants Yılmazer and Sarı under article 6/1 of the Anti-Terror
Law (Disclosure and Publication). However, Prosecutor Celal Kara
objected.
After a brief intermission, the court announced its verdict and said
that there was no basis for a conviction. (EO/VK)
From: A. Papazian