Amed- In 2019, journalist Beritan Canözer was sentenced to one year, 10 months and 15 days in prison on charges of “propagandizing for an illegal organization” by the Diyarbakır 11th High Criminal Court for her social media posts. Resul Temur, lawyer of Beritan Canözer, appealed to the Turkish Court of Appeal for reversal.

 In 2021, the Turkish Court of Appeal rejected the request of the lawyer. Therefore, Resul Temur appealed to the Turkish Supreme Court for reversal of the verdict. The Turkish Supreme Court has upheld the prison sentence for Baritan Canözer.

Resul Temur applied to the Constitutional Court on the grounds that his client’s right to freedom of expression has been violated by the court decision.

What happened?

Journalist Beritan Canözer was arrested in 2016 for allegedly being “too excited” while covering a protest in Amed (Diyarbakır). She was released from prison after more than three months. Since 2014, when her career in journalism started, Turkish police have raided her house seven times for her journalism activities; she has been detained six times, sent to prison twice and summoned to testify seven times and nine legal cases have been filed against her on charges of “membership in an illegal organization”, “Propagandizing for an illegal organization” and “insulting public officers and President Erdoğan”. She was acquitted of “membership in an illegal organization” and “Propagandizing for an illegal organization” in three legal cases.

She has been sentenced to a total of seven years and six months in prison in four legal cases on charges of “Propagandizing for an illegal organization”. Turkish courts postponed the execution of her two-year and six months prison sentences. However, she may be arrested to serve her four-year, 11-month and 30-day prison sentences.

Beritan Canözer also stood trial on charges of “insulting President Erdoğan” and she was fined 7,080 Turkish liras.