Bianet editor Tuğçe Yılmaz to appear before court over interview with Armenian youths
bianet editor Tuğçe Yılmaz will stand trial due to their interview with Armenian youth in Turkey.
Yılmaz is facing the charges of “insulting the Turkish nation, the state of the Republic of Turkey, and its institutions and organs” under article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code. of her report titled “Turkish Armenian youth speak: A mourning that has lasted 109 years.”
The interview, titled “Armenian youths speak up: A 109-year-long mourning,” explored the young people’s relationships with Armenian language and culture, their connection to İstanbul, and what April 24, 1915, means to them.
The İstanbul 2nd Penal Court of First Instance previously accepted the indictment and set the first hearing for Dec 2 at 2.30 pm.
‘I learned the reason for my detention on the way to the courthouse’
Commenting on the case, Yılmaz said the investigation began after a tip was filed with the Presidential Communication Center (CİMER). She pointed to procedural irregularities in the way she was detained.
“As a journalist, I am being prosecuted because I reported a story. And it all started with a CİMER tip that claimed ‘the website named bianet uses the term “genocide” for the events of 1915 and incites public hatred and hostility, and that the same site engages in terror praise and terror propaganda.’ It is not even clear who filed the complaint, what their intent was, or whether they are criminally responsible.”
Yılmaz said they were stopped by police on the evening of Jun 3 while returning home and held overnight at a police station. She later learned she had been identified through a facial recognition system “if I were a criminal.”
“Only one day later, while being taken to the courthouse, I was told that I had been detained because of a report I published on Apr 24, 2024. Until that moment, the reason for my detention had not even been explained. As a result, my right to defend myself was seriously restricted. Although legal limits were exceeded, I was later notified that a case had been filed against me.”
‘An explicit act of intimidation’
Yılmaz said being prosecuted solely for a news story sends a deterrent message to the journalism profession. “At a time when debates on democratization continue, the fact that I am being tried only because of a report is an explicit act of intimidation for our profession,” said Yılmaz.
“If this all begins with a CİMER complaint, I also question why the same selective approach was not applied to the factory in Dilovası where seven workers, including two children, died in a fire despite repeated complaints.”
She described Article 301 as a “vague” provision and said her reporting never targets individuals. She added that she tries to give space to those who struggle to be heard.
“As someone who simply wants to do the job correctly and continue working every day with the same curiosity and enthusiasm, I do not believe there is any legal basis for prosecuting me under such a vague article. Anyone who looks at my reporting can clearly see that I have never insulted anyone or harmed their dignity. On the contrary, I have always tried to amplify the voices of people and animals who are ignored, unheard, or made to feel humiliated.”
Yılmaz concluded by saying they refuse to become accustomed to journalists being detained and prosecuted and believe they will be acquitted at the hearing. “Because the fact that we are still being prosecuted for our reporting creates a seriously ambivalent situation in terms of social peace.” (HA/VK).
