Nobody in jail, under detention due to journalism activities: Turkish gov’t agency

ANKARA

AFP photo

Nobody has been detained or convicted due to journalism activities in Turkey, the country’s prime ministerial agency in charge of the press has claimed.

Some media outlets reported about a “67-person detained journalist list,” officials from the Directorate General of Press and Information (BYEGM) under the Turkish Prime Ministry told the state-run Anadolu Agency on Jan. 29, underlining that among those 67 persons, only 11 of them were under detention.

Of those 11, two were detained for petty offences while the other nine were taken into custody for crimes related to terrorism, the same officials said. Only four of the 11 detainees have press cards, they said.

The other 56 persons on the list have been convicted. Some 51 of them were tried before first instance courts of criminal jurisdiction and their convictions were approved by the Supreme Court of Appeals, while the appeals process is continuing for the other five, they said.

Of the 56, 24 were jailed for petty offences, while 32 have been jailed due to crimes related to terrorism, they said.

Only one of the 56 has a press card, and he was jailed due to a petty offense, they said.

A press card, dubbed as “yellow press card,” is granted by the Press Card Commission based on criteria set by the BYEGM.