Journalists Imprisoned in 2017 - Aslı Ceren Aslan
- Document source:
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Date:
31 December 2017
Özgür Gelecek | Imprisoned in Turkey | February 09, 2017
| Job: | Editor, Internet Reporter, Photographer, Print reporter |
| Medium: | Internet, Print |
| Beats Covered: | Politics, War |
| Gender: | Female |
| Local or Foreign: | Local |
| Freelance: | No |
| Charge: | Anti-state |
| Length of Sentence: | Not Sentenced |
| Reported Health Problems: | No |
Police in the southeastern Turkish province of Şanlıurfa on February 9, 2017, arrested Aslı Ceren Aslan, news editor for the pro-Kurdish biweekly newspaper Özgür Gelecek, her employer reported. The newspaper said that Aslan was reporting on developments along the Syrian border, particularly in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of Rojava.
Security forces strip-searched Aslan twice and beat her, according to a report in the journalist's paper, which cited her lawyer.
As of December 4, 2017, the Turkish Embassy in Washington D.C. did not respond to CPJ's emailed request for comment on claims that jailed journalists are mistreated.
A Şanlıurfa court on February 13 ordered Aslan to be held pending trial on charges of attempting to cross the border illegally, "propagandizing for a [terrorist] organization" on social media, and "being a member of a [terrorist] organization." The journalist denied the charges, the report said.
Istanbul's 14th Court for Serious Crimes sentenced Aslan to two years and six months in prison on charges of "making propaganda for a [terrorist] organization," according to court records reviewed by CPJ.
According to court records, prosecutors alleged that specific articles in her paper spread propaganda for the PKK.
Aslan was at Urfa Prison, according to news reports. As of late 2017, Aslan's lawyers had not returned CPJ's calls requesting comment.
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