NEWS CENTER - In the indictment of imprisoned DFG Co-Chair Serdar Altan, the commemoration of the murdered Musa Anter was considered an "organizational statement", and the statements he made for his arrested and murdered colleagues were considered "evidence" for the crime.

 

The indictment against Journalists, who are Serdar Altan, Suat Doğuhan, Zeynel Abidin Bulut Abdurrahman Öncü, Aziz Oruç, Elif Üngür, İbrahim Koyuncu, Lezgin Akdeniz, Mazlum Güler, Mehmet Ali Ertaş, Neşe Toprak, Ömer Çelik, Ramazan Geciken, Remziye Temel, who were detained in Diyarbakır 8 days after being detained on June 8, 2022, were arrested by the court, and Mehmet Şahin, Kadir Bayram, Esmer Tunç and Mehmet Yalçin, who were released, was accepted.Diyarbakır 4th High Criminal Court accepted the 728-page indictment and set a date for the first hearing on July 11. While the files about the detained JINNEWS Editorial Manager Safiye Alağaş and the detained journalist Gülşen Koçuk were separated, the names of the detained Feynaz Koçuk and İhsan Ergülen were not included in the indictment.

 

PROGRAM CLAIMS

 

In the indictment, remarkable allegations were included in the section on Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFG) Co-chair Serdar Altan. In the section where the accusations against Altan are included, broadcast transcripts downloaded by the police by logging into the remote desktop servers of Sterk TV and Medya Haber TV from Ari Production Production company, which the police "search" for 32 days, were included. In the indictment, where the transcripts in question were portrayed as belonging to Altan and his other colleagues, the "Nêrîn" program, which Altan presented every week and where current developments were discussed, was the biggest accusation.

 

The questions and evaluations that Altan asked his guests about Newroz, the attacks on the Federated Kurdistan Region, the isolation in Imrali, developments in politics, racist attacks and social events were listed in the programs. In addition, on Stêrk and Medya Haber televisions, his statements on May 3 World Press Freedom Day and attacks against journalists were made the subject of accusations.

 

'KURDISTAN' 

 

In the indictment, it was claimed that Altan received instructions from the said TVs and that the TVs were "propagandizing for a terrorist organization". In the indictment, which specifically included the programs made in 2021, Altan's words about Newroz: "The people of Diyarbakir, the people of the world and the people of Kurdistan started their Newroz celebrations in Diyarbakir early in the morning." 

 

It was alleged that Altan was pointing out that he was acting in line with the "confederal strategy of the PKK," with the words "We really had guests from all over Kurdistan... in today's Newroz".

 

'THE COMMEMORATION OF MUSA ANTER'

 

Press statements and interviews that Altan participated as the president of the association were considered crimes. The speech of Altan at the commemoration event held on September 20, 2020 on the 28th death anniversary of Kurdish Scholar Musa Anter was considered an "terrorist organizational press release" in the indictment.

 

'THE CELEBRATION OF KURDISH JOURNALISTS DAY'

 

Altan being among the signatories of the news titled "More than 320 journalists called for Kurdish unity against the occupation" published in the Fırat News Agency (ANF) on June 20, 2021; The statement made on the death anniversary of journalist Cengiz Altun, who was murdered on February 24, 2022; His speech at the celebration held on the occasion of the Kurdish Journalists' Day on April 22, 2022; His interview in the news published on April 14, 2022 with the headline “Kurdish journalists: KDP must stop this stance immediately” was also among the accusations.

 

'THE INTERVIEWS OF ALTAN FOR HIS COLLEAGUES'

 

It is noteworthy that Altan's statements before the hearing of 4 journalists who were arrested and later acquitted after reporting that Osman Şiban and Servet Turgut were thrown from the helicopter in Van were also the subject of accusations.

 

The continuation of the indictment included the statement Altan gave to a radio station calling him on the Newroz of March 21, 2022. It was alleged that Altan made "praising" statements about PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan in his statements regarding his Newroz impressions.

 

Some information about the documents seized during Altan's house search was also included in the indictment. Digital notes on program contents were made the subject of accusation in this section.

 

In the evaluation section of Altan in the indictment, it was claimed that Altan "adopted the ideology of the terrorist organization, adopted the idea of establishing Kurdistan on a certain part of the lands belonging to the states of Turkey, Iraq, Syria and Iran in line with the same ideology, and tried to legitimize the actions of his organization".

 

MA / Azad Altay