Cihan News Agency | Imprisoned in Turkey | July 27, 2016

Job:Publisher/Owner
Medium:Internet
Beats Covered:Business, Corruption, Crime, Culture, Human Rights, Politics, Sports, War
Gender:Male
Local or Foreign:Local
Freelance:No
Charge:Anti-state, False News
Length of Sentence:Not Sentenced
Reported Health Problems:No

Police detained Akkan, the general director of the Cihan News Agency, at his home in Istanbul on July 27, 2016, according to a message posted to his Twitter account on his behalf, referring to him in the third person.

Istanbul's Third Court of Penal Peace ordered the then 46-year-old journalist jailed, pending trial "based on the strong suspicion" that he was a member of a terrorist organization. He was accused of being a follower of exiled preacher Fethullah Gülen, whom the Turkish government accuses of maintaining a terrorist organization and "parallel state structure" (FETÖ/PDY, by its Turkish acronym) and of masterminding a July 15 failed military coup.

According to court documents, the court based its conclusion on Akkan's employment at the Cihan News Agency, which it called "within the structure of FETÖ/PDY's media arm." A court in March 2016 ordered the news agency's parent company, the Feza Media Group, placed under government-appointed trustee, on the grounds that it was a Gülenist mouthpiece.

Akkan told the court that he started working at the news agency's foreign desk in 2004 and then went to Russia in 2006 as a reporter, where he stayed until 2015, when he returned to Istanbul and became general director.

Akkan is on trial alongside 30 journalists and media workers and an academic. All are charged with "attempting, through violence and force, to disrupt and replace the order as recognized by Turkey's Constitution," "attempting through violence and force to eliminate or prevent Parliament from carrying out its duties," and "being a member of an armed terrorist organization." Not all of the defendants are in custody.

The trial's first hearing began in Istanbul on September 18, 2017, according to local reports.

In the indictment, reviewed by CPJ, the prosecution said that the defendants' journalism, including opinion pieces or their employment by pro-Gülen outlets such as the daily Zaman and Cihan News Agency, is evidence that the journalists were part of the so-called Fethullah Gülen Terrorist Organization/Parallel State Structure (FETÖ/PDY).

The indictment accused the journalists – which it referred to as "the media force of the terrorist organization" – of producing false news to weaken the government, insult or humiliate the authorities, attempt to disrupt the peace, and to create an environment suitable for a coup.

Akkan denies the charges, according to the indictment. If convicted, he faces multiple life sentences, without parole.

The next court date is scheduled for December 8, 2017, according to press reports.

Disclaimer: © Committee to Protect Journalists. All rights reserved. Articles may be reproduced only with permission from CPJ.

This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.