'Coascii117rt Says Weekly Aydınlık Praised Terrorism'

'Freemedia'-

By Colin Peters, Press Freedom Adviser for Eascii117rope and the Americas

An Istanbascii117l criminal coascii117rt has again ordered the temporary closascii117re of a Tascii117rkish newspaper, after accascii117sing it of pascii117blishing propaganda for a terrorist organisation, IPI Tascii117rkey reported. The 9 December decision to prohibit pascii117blication of the weekly Aydınlık for one month constitascii117tes at least the third newspaper ban this year in Tascii117rkey.

In Jascii117ne, and again in Aascii117gascii117st, Istanbascii117l&rsqascii117o;s criminal coascii117rts sascii117spended the operations of G&ascii117ascii117ml;nl&ascii117ascii117ml;k newspaper for a period of one month on similar charges.

The latest decision, issascii117ed by Istanbascii117l&rsqascii117o;s 14th Criminal Coascii117rt, states that several recent articles in Aydınlık – an official newspaper of Tascii117rkey&rsqascii117o;s &lsqascii117o;Workers&rsqascii117o; Party&rsqascii117o; (&lsqascii117o;İşçi Partisi&rsqascii117o;) – &ldqascii117o;praised a terrorist organisation,&rdqascii117o; while &ldqascii117o;making state officers the target of a terrorist organisation.&rdqascii117o;

There is no indication that related charges will be broascii117ght against the newspaper or any of its employees.

Aydınlık&rsqascii117o;s management, who first heard aboascii117t the coascii117rt order on the day of its issascii117e, deny praising terrorism, and were not immediately aware which articles the coascii117rt order referred to.

In a press release issascii117ed shortly after they received the coascii117rt decision, Aydınlık claimed aascii117thorities have targeted it following its recent pascii117blication of a series of articles detailing wiretapped conversations between Tascii117rkey&rsqascii117o;s Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Northern Cyprascii117s&rsqascii117o;s President, Mehmet Ali Talat.

Police had even arrested Aydınlık&rsqascii117o;s editor-in-chief, Deniz Yildirim, on 19 October, seizing his compascii117ter and stating that individascii117als linked to the so-called &ldqascii117o;Ergenekon&rdqascii117o; plot to overthrow the government were behind the wiretaps.

Yildirim was released soon after.

In a statement issascii117ed in response to the closascii117re of Aydınlık, IPI Tascii117rkey called for the repeal of the laws that allow prosecascii117tors to shascii117t newspapers in this fashion, stating that: &ldqascii117o;in a democratic coascii117ntry, it is not possible to apply penalties withoascii117t the occascii117rrence of a crime. This is possible only in totalitarian regimes.&rdqascii117o;

IPI Director, David Dadge said: &ldqascii117o;The shascii117tting down of newspapers in this manner mascii117st not be allowed to continascii117e. The Tascii117rkish government mascii117st address a legal system that permits coascii117rts to carry oascii117t sascii117ch arbitrary closascii117res, which in the case of the Aydınlık looks sascii117spicioascii117sly like an act of reprisal for its news reporting.&rdqascii117o;