Diyarbakir Bar Association demands release of journalist Merdan Yanardağ

Journalist Merdan Yanardağ has been arrested on charges of “praising crime and criminals” for his comments criticizing Turkey’s ban on visiting PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, who has been held in isolation on Imrali Island since February 1999. He was arrested by the court on 27 June, the day after he was detained by police officers who entered the building of the television station TELE1, of which he is chief editor. “The charges against Merdan Yanardağ should be dropped and he should be released immediately,” the Diyarbakır Bar Association said in a statement on the journalist’s arrest.

In a live broadcast on Tele1, Yanardağ said that the ban on visits and the isolation imposed on Öcalan should be lifted and that the isolation imposed on Abdullah Öcalan has no place in the law. The Bar Association issued a statement opposing the charges against Merdan Yanardağ, who was arrested for speaking within the framework of freedom of thought and expression and for practicing his profession. The statement also highlighted the current state of freedom of expression in Turkey and the pressure on journalists, recalling Article 28 of the Constitution, Article 19 of the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which underline the right to receive and impart information.

The statement also read: “Freedom of expression in Turkey is under increasing and sustained attack. When journalists are regularly threatened, detained and arrested, the future of society and democracy in the country is at stake”. The Association emphasizes that the press plays a fundamental role in enabling individuals to exercise this right, in particular by reporting news, commenting on public issues and informing the public.