In a country known for its imprisonment of journalists, the case of Turkish investigative reporter Baris Pehlivan is particularly noteworthy. Pehlivan, who recently published a book exposing the links between Turkey’s former interior minister and organized crime, is now facing his fifth arrest in three years. What sets this arrest apart is that Pehlivan was ordered to return to prison through a text message.
This order has received widespread condemnation, with the Committee to Protect Journalists and 18 other international human rights and media freedom organizations expressing their solidarity with Pehlivan. They denounce the repeated harassment he has faced and emphasize that he is simply exercising his right to free speech as a journalist. They highlight that this new order would mark his fifth time behind bars.
Pehlivan received notification from the Turkish justice ministry on August 2, instructing him to surrender himself at the Marmara Detention Centre (formerly known as Silivri prison) on August 15. This facility is known for housing government critics.
Özgür Öğret, CPJ’s Turkey representative, criticized the situation, stating that Pehlivan did not deserve to be imprisoned for his reporting three years ago, let alone lose another eight months of his life behind bars. He called on Turkish authorities to stop arresting journalists and create a safe environment for them to carry out their work without fear of retaliation.
It is important to note that Pehlivan and six other journalists were previously sentenced to three years and nine months in prison for reporting on the funeral of a member of Turkey’s MIT secret services operating in Libya. Although the authorities acknowledged the individual’s death, the journalists were charged with revealing “state secrets.”
Pehlivan, the editor-in-chief of the OdaTV website and a contributor to the secular daily Cumhuriyet, was granted conditional release on May 15 but was later sent back to jail due to multiple new cases against him.
The cancellation of a meeting between Turkey’s justice minister and the main opposition party regarding Pehlivan’s case further added to the controversy. The sudden cancellation infuriated members of the opposition party who accused the minister of prioritizing other matters.
Despite the challenges, Pehlivan, whose name translates to “wrestler” in Turkish, expressed resignation about turning himself in for the fifth time. He shared an image of the text message he received ordering him to jail on social media.
Press freedom organizations, including PEN International and Reporters Without Borders, issued an open letter to the Turkish government, urging them to reverse the decision to reimprison Pehlivan. They also called for an end to the systematic judicial harassment faced by Pehlivan and other journalists. They highlighted how Pehlivan became a target after co-authoring a book called “SS,” which accused the interior minister of having links to organized crime.
The groups mentioned that Pehlivan’s parole was revoked even before he was charged with insulting the interior minister, who is also the deputy chairman of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AK Party. The minister has denied any ties to the Turkish mafia, despite being implicated in a series of YouTube videos detailing alleged connections between politicians and the criminal underworld.
Erol Onderoglu from RSF emphasized that the threat of imprisonment looms over the press in Turkey at every turn. He stated that Pehlivan should not spend another day in prison and highlighted that he is constantly subjected to abusive prosecutions. Despite the release of some journalists in recent months, twenty journalists remain incarcerated in Turkey, making it 165th out of 180 countries in terms of press freedom.
In 2022, a total of 363 journalists were imprisoned worldwide, with 40 of them in Turkey, according to CPJ data.
In conclusion, the case of Baris Pehlivan sheds light on the ongoing challenges faced by journalists in Turkey. It highlights the need for a safe and supportive environment where journalists can freely exercise their professional duties without fear of persecution.
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