Defendants: Mümtazer Türköne

Media Outlet and Position: Zaman Media Group – Columnist

Status: Imprisoned

Facility: Silivri No. 9 Prison

Accusations: Insulting the President

Possible sentences: –

Court: Bakırköy 2. Criminal Court, Istanbul

Case background:

Mümtazer Türköne, a columnist/op-ed contributor for Zaman newspaper, was arrested on August 5, 2016 as part of the government purge of individuals accused of spreading propaganda for the outlawed movement headed by U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gülen, whom Turkey’s government accuses of having established a “parallel state structure” and who it blames for the failed July 15, 2016 coup attempt.

On April 27, 2017, an Istanbul court accepted an indictment against Türköne and 29 other former Zaman Media Group employees that accuses them of attempting to overthrow the government, the Constitution and Parliament, and seeks three consecutive life sentences for each suspect. The indictment also sought another 15 years for each suspect on charges of being members of a terrorist organization.

The indictment alleges that Zaman, which was founded in 1986, was fully taken over by the Gülen movement the following year and was able to continue operating only due to the group’s financial support. It also accused the group of “using the media as a weapon” to “manipulate society”, and alleges that Zaman employed “columnists with ideas that could have supported the organization”. The newspaper was shuttered in May 2016 after it was seized by the state.

On July 6, 2018, the court sentenced six including Türköne to various jail terms on charges of “membership of a terrorist organization”. Türköne is currently held at Silivri Prison to serve 10 years and six months.

Türköne is also charged with “insulting the President” in a separate case over his columns. Trial’s next hearing in the case is scheduled for October 15, 2019. Türköne’s article titled “Appointee to Koza-İpek: the Dictator must be gone crazy” cited as the criminal evidence in this case was published in Zaman on October 27, 2015.

The court adjourned the trial until October 31, accepting defense lawyers’ request for additional time to finalize their statements.

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