MEDIA MONITORING DATABASE
The reporter for Cihan News Agency, Mutlu Özay is on trial for “membership in a terrorist organisation [FETÖ]”
RELATED PERSON OR INSTITUTION
Mutlu Özay
CITY
İstanbul
YEAR OF INTERFERENCE
2017
LAST UPDATED
01/06/2019
TYPE OF STATEMENT
Political
MEDIUM
Internet
News Agency
THE TITLE OF WHOSE RIGHT IS INTERFERED
Journalist
RIGHTS GUARANTEED UNDER THE RIGHT OF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
Right to Impart Information and Ideas
TYPE OF INTERFERENCE
Judicial Interference
Criminal Courts
Approval of the indictment and initiating the prosecution
THE LEGAL GROUNDS FOR INTERFERENCE
Turkish Penal Code
Art. 314/2

Upon the investigation launched by the İstanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office a lawsuit was filed against 10 journalists for “membership in a terrorist organisation [FETÖ]” allegedly using ByLock app. Ömer Faruk Aydemir (former Chief of Information of İhlas News Agency News), Sait Gürkan Tuzlu (correspondent of now-closed Cihan News Agency), Mesut Ertaç (the former reporter for now closed Zaman ve Cihan news agency), Muhsin Pilgir (correspondents of now-closed Zaman newspaper and Cihan News Agency), Mehmet Ali Ay, Yusuf Duran, Ahmet Feyzullah Özyurt, Murat Özay (Cihan News Agency), Hüdaverdi Yıldırım (Can Erzincan TV), Yasir Kaya (the former news director for Fenerbahçe TV),  Cüneyt Seza Özkan (the editor for Samanyolu TV Channel) have been standing trial.  

All were arrested on August 16, 2017.