Turkey’S Press Council: Journalists Cannot Be Declared Terrorists For Chasing News

– President of Turkey’s Press Council said “Journalist who chase news cannot be declared terrorists” slamming the indictment against 21 journalists from twelve dailies accused of “propagandizing on behalf of terrorist organizations” asking up to 7.5 years prison sentence for each, in a press statement on Aug 7.

The journalists has been accused of publishing a photo of former prosecutor Mehmet Selim Kiraz, who had been killed following an eight-hour standoff launched by two members of the outlawed Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C) on March 31.

President of Press Council Pınar Türenç added that “a photo of an incident involving only the public had been accused. Thus, publishing of those photos is an act of journalism”.

Türenç’s statement also addressed the ban on newspaper advertisements of 39 dailies and said that they consider this punishment a threatening towards the local press.

Havign added that a similar accusation has not been made for the publications displaying the ferocity of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the statement said “We announce that those journalists who are pointed as target and being charged are not alone, and declare that we will standing on”

Chief consultant of the Cumhuriyet daily, one of the journals that had been charged for publishing the photos, Doğan Satmış added, “Unfortunately, this case disgraces the country’s name. We demand that the court correct this mistake and to return an acquittal”.

(PHOTO)