Mutlu Çölgeçen, Millet
Medium:Print
Charge:Anti-State
Imprisoned:August 31, 2016

Police detained Çölgeçen, former news coordinator for the shuttered daily newspaper Millet, in Istanbul on August 31, 2016. Istanbul First Court of Penal Peace ordered the journalist jailed, pending trial, on September 2, 2016.

According to records of his arraignment hearing, which CPJ has reviewed, asked about his work for Millet, the journalist told the court that he had worked as a journalist since 1994 at various newspapers and television channels before joining the daily Millet in September 2014 as the news coordinator. He told the court he quit the newspaper on August 21, 2015, following an argument he had with a colleague, and that he had been unemployed since.

The journalist denied that he was a follower of exiled preacher Fethullah Gülen, whom the Turkish government accuses of maintaining a terrorist organization and "parallel state structure" in Turkey (FETÖ/PDY, by its Turkish acronym) and of masterminding a July 15, 2016, failed military coup. Çölgeçen denied having any connection to the failed military coup.

The court ordered him jailed, pending trial, based on its "strong suspicion" that Çölgeçen "willingly and knowingly helped the organization," and sent him to prison, pending trial.

The daily newspaper Millet was one of several media outlets owned by the Koza Ipek Group, which the government took over in October 2015, alleging it had links to FETÖ/PDY. Trustees appointed by the government hollowed out media outlets the company owned and shut them down in March 2016, saying they were not financially viable.

As of late 2016, the journalist had not been indicted, and no date had been set for his trial.

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