Defendants: Havva Cuştan, İsminaz Temel

Media Outlet and Position: ETHA – Journalists

Status: Imprisoned

Facility: –

Accusations: Membership of a terrorist organization; Making terrorist propaganda

Possible sentence: –

Court: İstanbul 27. High Criminal Court

Case Background: 

İsminaz Temel, an editor at the Etkin News Agency (ETHA), was detained along with her colleague Havva Cuştan, a reporter for ETHA on October 19, 2017, following a police raid on their houses and were accused of “membership in a terrorist organization.” Court ordered their formal arrest on October 25, 2,017 .  Temel and Cuştan were among 13 people arrested over their association with the Marxist-Leninist political party “Ezilenlerin Sosyalist Partisi” (Socialist Party of the Oppressed). Their news reports and social media posts, as well as funerals that they attended, were cited as evidence  against them.

Abdullah Öcalan’s books, the imprisoned leader of outlawed group Kurdistan’s Workers Party (PKK) were added to the case as criminal evidence for Havva Cuştan.

Indictment for trial was prepared for 23 people initially, 13 of whom are currently in pretrial detention. The first hearing is set for July 16-17, which will mark Cuştan and Temel’s almost 9 months in pretrial detention.