Here is the list of journalists imprisoned in Turkish jails as of August 9th (source : “Media monitoring” on the P24 platform, updated on a regular basis.) Loup Bureau appears on the list since his arrest, with 163 others.
Therefore there are 164 journalists in jail as of today.
1 Abdulkadir Turay, DİHA reporter
2 Abdullah Kılıç, Habertürk
3 Abdullah Özyurt, Zaman reporter
4 Murat Güreş, Gaziantep Güncel Editor-in-Chief
5 Furkan Gökşen, detailhaber.com editor-in-chief
6 Loup Bureau, freelancer
7 Abdulvahap İş (Freelance journalist)
8 Abdürrahim Ersöz, Antalya
9 Ahmet Altan
10 Ahmet Memiş, Gazeteci, Haberdar news website
11 Ahmet Metin Sekizkardeş, Zaman journalist
12 Ahmet Şık, Cumhuriyet reporter
13 Ahmet Turan Alkan, Zaman
14 Ahmet Yavaş, TRT (Erzurum)
15 Akın Atalay, Pres. of Cumhuriyet Foundation Executive Board
16 Alaattin Güner, Cihan media director
17 Ali Ahmet Böken, TRT News coordinator
18 Ali Aşikar – Azadiya Welat
19 Ali Babür Boysal, Zaman page designer
20 Ali Bulaç, Eski Zaman columnist
21 Ali Konar, Azadiya Welat bureau chief
22 Ali Ünal, Zaman columnist
23 Ali Yüce, TRT Radio broadcasts chief
24 Arafat Dayan, Demokratik Ulus
25 Aslı Ceren Aslan, Özgür Gelecek
26 Atilla Taş, Meydan columnist
27 Ayhan Demir, Çaldıran News Agency
28 Ayşe Nazlı Ilıcak
29 Ayşenur Parıldak, Zaman, Haberdar
30 Aytekin Gezici, journalist/writer
31 Aziz İstegün, Diyarbakır Zaman representative
32 Bayram Kaya, Zaman reporter
33 Beytullah Özdemir, Zaman Düzce bureau chief
34 Burçin Dokgöz, former Zaman and Çorum reporter
35 Bünyamin Köseli, Aksiyon magazine reporter
36 Cebrail Parıltı, Anadolu Ajansı (AA) Derik reporter
37 Cemal Azmi Kalyoncu, Journalists and Writers’ Foundation
38 Ceren Taşkın, Hatay’ın Sesi
39 Cihan Acar, Bugün reporter
40 Cuma Kaya, Zaman
41 Cuma Ulus, Millet newspaper’s publications coordinator
42 Deniz Yücel, Die Welt
43 Emin Demir, Freelancer
44 Emre Soncan, Zaman defense reporter
45 Ercan Gün, Fox TV
46 Erdal Süsem, Eylül magazine editor
47 Erdal Şen, former Meydan managing editor
48 Erdoğan Alayamut, Dihaber reporter
49 Erol Yüksel (TRT News Department vice president))
50 Erol Zavar, Odak magazine, owner and newsroom director
51 Fahrettin Kılıç, Özgür Toplum
52 Faruk Akkan, Cihan news agency
53 Ferhat Çiftçi, Azadiya Welat Gaziantep bureau chief
54 Fevzi Yazıcı
55 Gökçe Fırat Çulhaoğlu, Türksolu columnist
56 Gökmen Ulu, Sözcü
57 Gurbet Çakar, Hevi women’s magazine
58 Gültekin Avcı
59 Habip Güler, Zaman reporter
60 Hakan Aksel, TRT producer-director
61 Hakan Ergün, Azadiya Welat and Özgür Gündem distributor
62 Hakan Taşdelen
63 Halil İbrahim Mert, TRT (Erzurum)
64 Hamit Dilbahar, Azadiya Welat columnist
65 Hamza Günerigök, TRT
66 Hanım Büşra Erdal, Zaman reporter and columnist
67 Hasan Duman, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi distributor
68 Haşim Söylemez, Aksiyon columnist
69 Hatice Duman, Atılım newspaper’s owner and managing editor
70 Hayati Yıldız, Azadiya Welat
71 Hidayet Karaca, Samanyolu Media Group President
72 Hülya Karakaya, Özgür Halk Managing Editor
73 Hüseyin Aydın, Cihan reporter
74 Hüseyin Turan, Zaman columnist
75 İbrahim Balta, Zaman business editor
76 İbrahim Kareyeğen, responsible editor for Zaman
77 İdris Okur, Cihan New Agency Çorum reporter
78 İdris Sayılgan, DİHA
79 İlker İlkan, Azadiya Welat
80 İnan Kızılkaya, Özgür Gündem Newsroom Editor
81 İsmail Avcı, Zaman
82 İsmail Efe, local press advisor in İzmir
83 Kadri Gürsel, Editorial Advisor
84 Kamuran Sunbat, DİHA Çukurova reporter (formerly)
85 Kemal Sancılı, Özgür Gündem copyrights holder
86 Kenan Karavil, Radyo Dünya editor-in-chief
87 Lokman Erdoğan, Çorum Manşet, owner
88 Mahir Kanaat, BirGün, head of accountingn
89 Mediha Olgun, Sözcü
90 Mehmet Altan
91 Mehmet Baransu, Taraf columnist/reporter
92 Mehmet Çakmakçı, Medyascope.tv reporter
93 Mehmet Dener, Şanlıurfa.com editor-in-chief
94 Mehmet Güleş, DİHA
95 Mehmet Kuru, Zaman Eskişehir reporter
96 Mehmet Özdemir, Zaman columnist
97 Meltem Oktay, DİHA reporter
98 Meşale Tolu, ETHA translater
99 Mikail Barut, Özgür Halk former editor
100 Miktat Algül, Mezitli FM General Publications Coordinator
101 Mizgin Çay – Radyo Karacadağ
102 Muhammet Taşçılar, Şanlıurfa.com editor-in-chief
103 Murat Aksoy, former Yeni Şafak columnist
104 Murat Avcıoğlu, Zaman
105 Murat Çapan,
106 Murat Dağdeviren (Demokrat Gebze owner)
107 Murat Sabuncu, Editor-in- Chief
108 Mustafa Erkan Acar, Bugün news editor,
109 Mustafa Gök, Ankara bureau chief for Ekmek ve Adalet magazine
110 Mustafa Ünal, Zaman
111 Mutlu Çölgeçen, Millet, newsroom coordinator
112 Mümtazer Türköne, Zaman columnist
113 Nadir Yücel, Çorum Yıldız (local) Editor-in-Chief
114 Nedim Türfent, DİHA
115 Nizamettin İzgi (Batman Newspaper’s owner)
116 Nur Ener, Yeni Asya
117 Nuri Durna, TRT
118 Nuri Yeşil, Azadiya Welat Dersim bureau chief
119 Nurullah Kaya, Gaziantep Zaman representative
120 Oğuz Usluer, Habertürk former broadcasts coordinator
121 Osman Yakut, Zaman Antalya
122 Ömer Çelik, DİHA news manager
123 Ömer Oruç, Cihan newspaper
124 Ömer Özdemir, Antalya eski Zaman muhabiri
125 Özcan Keser (TRT reporter)
126 Özkan Erdoğan, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi
127 Rabia Özkaya, Özgür Halk
128 Ramazan Alkan, Yeni Akit reporter
129 Resul Cengiz, Denizli reporter with Zaman
130 Sadık Demir – Radyo Karacadağ
131 Salih Erbekler – Radyo Karacadağ
132 Sami Tunca, Mücadele Birliği magazine Managing Editor
133 Selman Keleş, DİHA
134 Serhat Şeftali, Zaman regional bureau chief for the Med region
135 Serkan Aydemir, Bitlis Aktüel reporter
136 Serkan Erdoğan, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi
137 Seyid Kılıç, TRT News
138 Seyithan Akyüz, Azadiya Welat Adana bureau chief
139 Sezgin Kartal, Sosyalist Dayanımşa magazine
140 Şahabettin Demir, DİHA reporter
141 Şahin Alpay, Zaman columnist
142 Şeref Yılmaz, Irmak TV
143 Şerife Oruç, DİHA reporter
144 Şirin Çoban, Azadiya Welat
145 Tahsin Kürklü, Zaman – head of Logistics Department
146 Togay Okay, Özgür Gelecek
147 Tunca Öğreten, former Diken editor
148 Tuncer Çetinkaya, Zaman Antalya
149 Ufuk Şanlı, former Vatan columnist
150 Ulaş Sezgin, ETHA reporter
151 Ünal Tanık, Rota Haber editor-in-chief
152 Vahit Yazgan, İzmir Zaman bureau chief
153 Vedat Beki, Sözcü 18
154 Vedat Demir, former Yarına Bakış writer
155 Yakup Çetin, Zaman reporter
156 Yakup Şimşek, Zaman, marketing director
157 Yalçın Güler, TRT (Erzurum)
158 Yener Dönmez, Habervaktim news website
159 Yetkin Yıldız, Aktif Haber website editor
160 Yılmaz Kahraman, Özgür Halk editor
161 Yusuf Karataş, Evrensel columnist
162 Zafer Özsoy
163 Zehra Doğan, Jinha
164 Ziya Ataman, DİHA reporter
This video done in February 2017 is but a pale reflection of the global situation.
Political postages in Turkey (in French)
If their numbers differ from those of other international organizations devoted to the defense of journalists, it is because the incessant ballet of arrested ones awaiting trial and of those released on parole then re-imprisoned, does not always allow total clarity, given the willful disinformation practiced in Turkey. The situation is even worse for activists or political figures from the democratic opposition.
It also happens that distinctions are made between « official » press card holders and non official journalists. Knowing that the Turkish regime suppresses professional accreditations, as it often does for Kurds, this distinction does not hold. In 2016 for instance, our friend Zehra Doğan’s name did not appear on the international lists of journalists in need of support, and several others were in her situation. It also happens that « domestic » distinctions drawn in Turkey for « nationalistic » purposes, intervene even in the midst of calls to solidarity… Many resident « foreign » journalists fear they will not recover official permission to work in-country. The regime maintains a permanent threat over them, conducive to self-censorship.
This is why this platform, founded by Turkish journalist and writer Hasan Cemal strikes us as indispensable, first of all for all members of the profession, and beyond that, for those organizing trans-national support activities. While hoping for their sake they will not find their own names added to the list some day.
They are all the regime’s political hostages.
They are the object of diplomatic manipulations for some, and of domestic policy for others. And one must read again the defense presented recently before the court by an upright Ahmet Şık, to understand that kneeling before this regime is the worse way to behave and would show a serious misunderstanding of its profound nature.
To defend them, we must leave diplomacy to the diplomats, political cunning to the politicians, legal arguments to the lawyers seriously struggling before tribunals of injustice.
These same lawyers being themselves subjected to arrests and custody. Given the impossibility of barring lawyers entirely from the proceedings, instructions based on judiciary quibbling relative to the Penal Code are being presented by the regime at the moment as dissuasive arguments against interventions by defense lawyers whose clients are charged with “terrorism”… Representing such a client would place them under threat of professional bans of up to two years.
The announced transfer of French journalist Loup Bureau to another prison (in Van), cutting him off from his lawyer and disorganizing his defense is yet another illustration of this policy of distancing defendants from lawyers.
So it is best to understand the nature of this regime before confronting it and demanding the liberation of a journalist. The German government found this out in the case of Deniz Yücel, an editor at Die Welt, still imprisoned in Turkey.
A campaign is underway in France and in Europe to obtain Loup Bureau’s liberation, charged with intelligence with terrorists because, notably, of the time he spent with the YPG/YPJ forces in Rojava, from which he produced a documentary for French TV5.
It is perfectly obvious that Loup Bureau did not go to Syria, to Rojava, to film stones and that he was well aware of the pressing need for on-site information, other than the flood of anti-Kurdish propaganda at one end, and the angelic covering by a certain « feminine » press keen on prettifying death in the « girls’ war ». Because we constantly attempt to do this, we well understand his choices and his motives. And his colleagues should absorb this notion when they express their support. His choice to go back to the area is a choice of continuity and persistence…
It is clearly a political stance, not just one of « human rights » but one that is both ethical and humanistic in its dealings with a war-mongering Turkish regime’s murders and exactions against more than half of its population, thus advising its minorities of their scheduled eradication. Signaling the Turkish regime’s role as war-mongerer even in Syria is part of the full information journalists must provide, just as journalists now imprisoned revealed how the Turkish regime acted in cahoots with ISIS and djihadism…
And please, let’s not hear pronouncements from lofty ones in journalism schools of an « isolated » case resulting for a beginning freelancer’s mistake. If that were the case, how could we explain the case of Turkish journalist and writer Hamza Yalçın, who is anything but a beginner, and who is detained in Spain since August 3rd, following an international warrant launched by Turkey ?
Is it considered vulgar to say that the simple fact of testifying against this constitutes a political act ? Answering in the affirmative totally legitimizes the accusation of terrorism against him, by renouncing to defend the human values inspiring his actions.
It would be surprising if the « Stockholm syndrome » came into play in the defense of Loup Bureau by some media and some of his colleagues. Do they fear that in this indispensable solidarity they will have to dig below ready-made opinions concerning Turkey, opinions now relayed for decades ?
Of course it is still difficult to get a reading on Franco-Turkish relations in the new French political configuration. There was the recent case of Mathias Depardon, that was more in the nature of a thorn in the government’s side and yet dragged on for a long time. We do not know if his liberation came about because of « diplomatic efforts » or because of a total absence of evidence allowing the production of an indictment of some domestic use in Turkey…Perhaps it was a combination of both. And that is why we can be somewhat wary of the « promises » made at the time by diplomats…
The ransom of silence…
But on the contrary and precisely for these reasons, defending political hostages, imprisoned journalists, by doing one’s job of informing, is a way to show Europe the true face of this regime, and to denounce the permanent Munichs playing out.
And there’s no dearth of topics to choose from… Among others, at random, the slow death promised to NURİYE ET SEMİH on hunger strike for 157 days and thrown in jail… No, this is not jumping from one topic to another…
Journalism is not a crime.
SIGN THE PETITION HERE TO follow and relay the news from Loup Bureau’s Support Committee: Follow the Facebook support page Free Loup Turkey and the hashtag #FreeLoupTurkey
Translation by Renée Lucie Bourges.
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French version > Loup Bureau, Deniz Yücel, et 162 autres journalistes
Headline image : Philippe Becquelin, alias MIX & REMIX