{"id":19067,"date":"2025-05-22T13:53:11","date_gmt":"2025-05-22T13:53:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/?p=19067"},"modified":"2025-05-22T14:06:10","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T14:06:10","slug":"turkiye-release-and-drop-charges-against-journalists-hamza-kaan-and-mehmet-ucar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/2025\/05\/22\/turkiye-release-and-drop-charges-against-journalists-hamza-kaan-and-mehmet-ucar.html","title":{"rendered":"T\u00fcrkiye: Release and drop charges against journalists Hamza Kaan and Mehmet \u00dc\u00e7ar"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"block-cb9363eb16b745eda256\" class=\"sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html\" data-block-type=\"2\" data-border-radii=\"{\"topLeft\":{\"unit\":\"px\",\"value\":0.0},\"topRight\":{\"unit\":\"px\",\"value\":0.0},\"bottomLeft\":{\"unit\":\"px\",\"value\":0.0},\"bottomRight\":{\"unit\":\"px\",\"value\":0.0}}\">\n<div class=\"sqs-block-content\">\n<div class=\"sqs-html-content\">\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\"><strong>21 May 2025<\/strong>: <strong>Journalists Hamza Kaan and Mehmet \u00dc\u00e7ar have been detained since 26 November 2024 on fabricated terror-related grounds for their writings. They will be tried separately on 3 and 8 July, respectively. Both face up to 15 years in prison if convicted.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\"><strong>PEN International believes that Kaan and \u00dc\u00e7ar are being targeted solely for the peaceful exercise of their right to freedom of expression and calls for their immediate and unconditional release. All charges against them must be dropped. <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"block-yui_3_17_2_1_1747819473113_13783\" class=\"sqs-block horizontalrule-block sqs-block-horizontalrule\" data-block-type=\"47\">\n<div class=\"sqs-block-content\">\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"block-yui_3_17_2_1_1747819473113_13843\" class=\"sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html\" data-block-type=\"2\" data-border-radii=\"{\"topLeft\":{\"unit\":\"px\",\"value\":0.0},\"topRight\":{\"unit\":\"px\",\"value\":0.0},\"bottomLeft\":{\"unit\":\"px\",\"value\":0.0},\"bottomRight\":{\"unit\":\"px\",\"value\":0.0}}\">\n<div class=\"sqs-block-content\">\n<div class=\"sqs-html-content\">\n<h5 class=\"sqsrte-small preFade fadeIn\"><span class=\"sqsrte-text-highlight\" data-text-attribute-id=\"42899ff5-79d7-4869-acaa-de60643f6b45\"><strong>TAKE ACTION: Please send appeals to the authorities of T\u00fcrkiye<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n<ul data-rte-list=\"default\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\">Calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Hamza Kaan and Mehmet \u00dc\u00e7ar, and for all charges against them to be dropped;<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul data-rte-list=\"default\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\">Urging them to end the prosecution and detention of writers and journalists simply on the basis of the content of their writing, and to immediately release all those held in prison for exercising their rights to freedom of opinion and expression.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5 class=\"sqsrte-small preFade fadeIn\"><span class=\"sqsrte-text-highlight\" data-text-attribute-id=\"bedf49ff-e3a1-42cd-ab40-cc60c36bf374\"><strong>Send appeals to:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\"><strong>Y\u0131lmaz Tun\u00e7 <\/strong><br \/>\nRole: Minister of Justice<br \/>\nAddress: Ministry of Justice, Adalet Bakanl\u0131\u011f\u0131, 06659 Kizilay, Ankara, T\u00fcrkiye<br \/>\nContact: <a href=\"mailto:info@adalet.gov.tr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">info@adalet.gov.tr<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\">Send copies to the Embassy of T\u00fcrkiye in your own country. Embassy addresses may be found here: <a href=\"https:\/\/cd.mfa.gov.tr\/mission\/mission-list?clickedId=3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">https:\/\/cd.mfa.gov.tr\/mission\/mission-list?clickedId=3<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\">Please reach out to your Ministry of Foreign Affairs and diplomatic representatives in T\u00fcrkiye, calling on them to raise the case of Kaan and \u00dc\u00e7ar in bilateral fora.<\/p>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\"><strong>***Please send appeals immediately. Check with PEN International if sending appeals after 21 July 2025.*** <\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\">Please inform PEN International of any action you take and any responses you receive. Messages can be sent to Aur\u00e9lia Dondo, Head of Europe and Central Asia Region: <a href=\"mailto:Aurelia.dondo@pen-international.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Aurelia.dondo@pen-international.org<\/a><\/p>\n<h5 class=\"sqsrte-small preFade fadeIn\"><span class=\"sqsrte-text-highlight\" data-text-attribute-id=\"dac2a967-d0db-455c-80c7-dc90016a081b\"><strong>Publicity<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\">PEN members are encouraged to:<\/p>\n<ul data-rte-list=\"default\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\">Publish articles and opinion pieces in your national or local press highlighting the case of Hamza Kaan and Mehmet \u00dc\u00e7ar and the state of freedom of expression in T\u00fcrkiye;<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul data-rte-list=\"default\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\">Share information about Kaan and \u00dc\u00e7ar and your campaigning activities via social media.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\">Please keep us informed of your activities.<\/p>\n<h5 class=\"sqsrte-small preFade fadeIn\"><span class=\"sqsrte-text-highlight\" data-text-attribute-id=\"306144c6-548f-4c80-8d90-88687b899862\"><strong>Solidarity<\/strong><\/span><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\">Solidarity is a key component of our campaign. <strong>Please send messages to:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\">Hamza Kaan and Mehmet \u00dc\u00e7ar<br \/>\nEski\u015fehir L Tipi Kapal\u0131 Ceza \u0130nfaz Kurumu<br \/>\nAkp\u0131nar<br \/>\n26004 Odunpazar\u0131\/Eski\u015fehir<br \/>\nT\u00fcrkiye<\/p>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\">Please consider sending Hamza Kaan and Mehmet \u00dc\u00e7ar books, magazines, pictures and postcards. Please do not use political symbols or send political content.<\/p>\n<h5 class=\"sqsrte-small preFade fadeIn\"><span class=\"sqsrte-text-highlight\" data-text-attribute-id=\"e2c39728-2545-4fb0-870a-2312957f5eba\"><strong>Background\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\">Journalists Hamza Kaan (pen name Bilge Aksu, born 2 November 1986, from Istanbul), and Mehmet \u00dc\u00e7ar (pen name Miheme Porgebol, born 1 May 1991, from Batman) have contributed to several outlets, including <em>Yeni \u00d6zg\u00fcr Politika<\/em>, a pro-Kurdish news website, and the montly <em>PolitikArt<\/em>\u202fmagazine. Kaan and \u00dc\u00e7ar have been using pseudonyms amidst a mounting crackdown on freedom of expression in T\u00fcrkiye. Kaan, who notably teaches literature in Istanbul, has conducted interviews with several poets and writers from T\u00fcrkiye while \u00dc\u00e7ar has reported extensively on the plight of imprisoned writers in the country.<\/p>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\">On 26 November 2024, T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s Interior Ministry <a href=\"https:\/\/www.icisleri.gov.tr\/30-ilde-pkkkck-pydypg-teror-orgutlerine-yonelik-duzenlenen-gurz-27-operasyonlarinda-231-supheli-teror-orgutu-mensubu-yakalandi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">stated<\/a> that police had conducted simultaneous operations in 30 cities and detained 231 people suspected of having ties to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party (PKK) or alleged affiliates. Several journalists, writers and media workers were detained, including Hamza Kaan and Mehmet \u00dc\u00e7ar. They were subsequently transferred to Eski\u015fehir, northwestern T\u00fcrkiye, where the investigation is based. While some suspects were released under judicial control measures, Kaan and \u00dc\u00e7ar were officially <a href=\"https:\/\/www.evrensel.net\/haber\/535530\/gazeteciler-bilge-aksu-ve-mehmet-ucar-tutuklandi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">arrested<\/a> on 29 November on charges of \u2018membership of a terrorist organisation\u2019 under Article 314\/2 of T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s Penal Code and Article 5 of Anti-Terror Law No. 3713. They face up to 15 years in prison if convicted.<\/p>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\">Kaan and \u00dc\u00e7ar were first sent to Eski\u015fehir H-type Closed Prison. According to their lawyers, they were both stripped and searched and deprived of access to food and clean water for 48 hours. They were subsequently transferred to Eski\u015fehir L-type Closed Prison, where they are currently being held. An indictment was produced four months later. The charges against them mainly stem from their social media posts and articles they wrote for <em>Yeni \u00d6zg\u00fcr Politika<\/em> and <em>PolitikArt<\/em>. Both outlets \u2013 which operate from Germany \u2013 strongly <a href=\"https:\/\/medyanews.net\/kurdish-newspaper-releases-statement-after-mass-arrest-of-workers-in-turkey\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">denied<\/a> links to the PKK and called for the case to be dropped.<\/p>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\">According to Kaan and \u00dc\u00e7ar\u2019s lawyers, who visited them in prison, Kaan has not been able to access proper medical care to treat his gout flares. His trial is set to open at the 14th High Criminal Court of Istanbul on 3 July 2025. \u00dc\u00e7ar has been denied basic items including paper, pens, books and weather-appropriate clothing. He is due to stand trial at the Batman 2nd High Criminal Court on 8 July 2025.<\/p>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\">The situation for freedom of expression in T\u00fcrkiye remains a grave concern. As documented in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pen-international.org\/news\/statement-identity-on-trial-persecution-and-resistance-pen-international-case-list-2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"><em>Identity on Trial: Persecution and Resistance<\/em><\/a> \u2013 PEN International\u2019s Case List 2025, over-broad counter-terrorism laws have been repeatedly used by the authorities of T\u00fcrkiye to target writers and journalists who dare express dissenting views. PEN International reiterates <a href=\"https:\/\/pen-international.org\/who-we-are\/annual-congress\/pen-international-closes-its-88th-congress\/resolution-on-the-repression-of-kurdish-language-and-culture-in-turkiye\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">calls<\/a> on the authorities to end the prosecution and detention of writers on the basis of the content of their writing \u2013 including in support of Kurdish language and culture \u2013 and to immediately release all those held for their peaceful expression.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"block-yui_3_17_2_1_1747819473113_40774\" class=\"sqs-block horizontalrule-block sqs-block-horizontalrule\" data-block-type=\"47\">\n<div class=\"sqs-block-content\">\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"block-yui_3_17_2_1_1747819473113_40863\" class=\"sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html\" data-block-type=\"2\" data-border-radii=\"{\"topLeft\":{\"unit\":\"px\",\"value\":0.0},\"topRight\":{\"unit\":\"px\",\"value\":0.0},\"bottomLeft\":{\"unit\":\"px\",\"value\":0.0},\"bottomRight\":{\"unit\":\"px\",\"value\":0.0}}\">\n<div class=\"sqs-block-content\">\n<div class=\"sqs-html-content\">\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\"><em>For further details contact Aur\u00e9lia Dondo, Head of Europe and Central Asia Region at PEN International:\u202f<\/em><a href=\"mailto:Aurelia.dondo@pen-international.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"><em>Aurelia.dondo@pen-international.org<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>21 May 2025: Journalists Hamza Kaan and Mehmet \u00dc\u00e7ar have been detained since 26 November 2024 on fabricated terror-related grounds for their writings. They will be tried separately on 3 and 8 July, respectively. Both face up to 15 years in prison if convicted.\u00a0 PEN International believes that Kaan and \u00dc\u00e7ar are being targeted solely<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":117,"featured_media":19068,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4201],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-solidarity"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19067","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/117"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19067"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19067\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19072,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19067\/revisions\/19072"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}