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Call for provisional release of Kurdish
journalist accused of collaborating with PKK in Turkey
21.6.2006
Reporters Without Borders
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Turkey, 21 June
2006, -- Reporters Without Borders today called for
the release on bail of Rüstu Demirkaya, a reporter
with the Kurdish news agency Diha, who was placed in
custody in Tunceli prison in eastern Turkey on 14
June on a charge of collaborating with the outlawed
Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), also known as Kongra-Gel.
Demirkaya was reportedly arrested along with four
other people during a military operation against PKK
members in the Tunceli region on 11 June. A former
PKK member supposedly accused him of contacts with
PKK activists in the neighbouring village of Sakak
last autumn, when he allegedly gave them a laptop
and 10 virgin CD-ROM disks and briefed them about an
military operation then under way. He faces up to 12
years in prison.
“We call for Demirkaya’s release on bail until his
trial,” Reporters Without Borders said. “His release
would not affect the investigation as the police
know where he lives and there is no danger of
evidence disappearing as the only evidence against
him is an informant’s statement.”
The press freedom organisation added: “We would like
to point out that journalists working for
pro-Kurdish media are often accused of being PKK
collaborators because they have covered military
operations.”
Demirkaya’s lawyer, Baris Yildirim, formally
requested his provisional release on 19 June.
Demirkaya is already facing a sentence of four and a
half years in prison for covering the August 2005
release of a Turkish soldier kidnapped by the PKK
the previous month. Three other local journalists,
including Reuters correspondent Ferit Demir, covered
the event. Their trial is due to start in September
the 8th 2006.
rsf org
Southeastern Turkey:
North Kurdistan (
Kurdistan-Turkey) wikipedia
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