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Woman human rights defender Eren Keskin sentenced

Status: 
Sentenced
About the situation

On 15 February 2021, the Istanbul 23rd Heavy Penal Court sentenced woman human rights defender Eren Keskin to six years and three months for “membership of an armed terrorist organisation” in the Özgür Gündem newspaper “Main Trial”.

On 13 January 2020, the prosecutor presented his final opinion in the Özgür Gündem “Main Trial” at Istanbul’s 23rd High Criminal Court and requested the Court to convict and sentence Eren Keskin for “membership of a terrorist group”.

On 10 October 2018, the 10th hearing of the Özgür Gündem “Main Trial” was held in Istanbul’s 23rd High Criminal Court. Former editor-in-chief of the newspaper Özgür Gündem, Eren Keskin is one of the nine defendants in the case. The Court lifted the travel ban on Eren Keskin but she is still facing up to 24 years in prison on various charges. The next hearing is scheduled for 17 January 2019.

On 4 June 2018, the ninth hearing of the Özgür Gündem “Main Trial” was held. Former editor-in-chief of Özgür Gündem, Eren Keskin is one of nine defendants in the case. During the hearing the court requested that the prosecutor prepare a statement for the next hearing, which is scheduled for 20 October 2018. Her lawyer’s request to lift the travel ban on the human rights defender was refused by the court.

About Eren Keskin

Eren KeskinEren Keskin is a prominent human rights defender, lawyer and the vice-president of the Turkish Human Rights Association. She is also the founder of Gözaltında Cinsel Taciz ve Tecavüze Karşı Hukuki Yardım Bürosu (Legal Aid Bureau against Sexual Harassment and Rape in Custody) in Turkey. She has been arrested, imprisoned and the object of numerous lawsuits for her legitimate and peaceful work in the defence of human rights. In 2004, she received the prestigious Aachen Peace Award "for her courageous efforts and activities for human rights", in 2005, she was awarded the Theodor Haecker Prize for Civic Courage and Political Integrity, and in 2018, she became a laureate of the Helsinki Civil Society Award.

18 February 2021
Woman human rights defender Eren Keskin sentenced

 

On 15 February 2021, the Istanbul 23rd Heavy Penal Court sentenced woman human rights defender Eren Keskin to six years and three months for “membership of an armed terrorist organisation” in the Özgür Gündem newspaper “Main Trial”. The newspaper’s publisher and the managing editor were also sentenced to six years and three months for “membership of a terrorist organisation”, while the co-chief editor was handed a one year and thirteen month [sic] sentence for “making propaganda of a terrorist organisation”. The court found Eren Keskin and others not guilty of the charge of “disrupting the unity and the integrity of the state.”

Eren Keskin is a long-standing woman human rights defender, a human rights lawyer, founder of Gözaltında Cinsel Taciz ve Tecavüze Karşı Hukuki Yardım Bürosu (Legal Aid Bureau against Sexual Harassment and Rape in Custody) and the co-chair of the Human Rights Association in Turkey. She is the recipient of several human rights awards including Aachen Peace Award, Theodor Haecker Prize for Civic Courage and Political Integrity, Helsinki Civil Society Award and is a former finalist of the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders.

The woman human rights defender acted as the chief editor of Özgür Gündem newspaper between 2014 and 2015 at a time when many lawsuits were being brought against the editors, writers and journalists of the newspaper. The newspaper was later shut down by the Turkish government in 2016 and a criminal lawsuit was initiated against nine of its editors, writers and advisory board members.

The Istanbul 23rd Heavy Penal Court turned down the request of the Istanbul 13th Heavy Penal Court to merge the aforementioned case with the case files of three human rights defenders, Şebnem Korur Fincancı, Erol Önderoğlu and Ahmet Nesin, who are being retried for participation in a campaign of solidarity with Özgür Gündem newspaper. The three defenders were acquitted of “terrorist propaganda” by the Istanbul 13th Heavy Penal Code but the acquittal was quashed by the court of appeals, which argued that the case files of the three defenders must be merged with the Ozgur Gundem main trial.

Eren Keskin has faced a slew of charges and judicial harassment as a result of her human rights work. Due to her position as co-chief editor of Özgür Gündem daily, she has been linked to several cases in which she has been sentenced to over 15 years and has been fined tens of thousands of euros.

Front Line Defenders condemns the persistent targeting of Eren Keskin and the human rights defenders who showed solidarity with the Özgür Gündem newspaper. Front Line Defenders expresses its deep concern that the case against Eren Keskin is politically motivated and aims to punish the woman human rights defender for defending freedom of expression and media freedom for over three decades.

13 January 2020
Prosecutor requests conviction of Eren Keskin

On 13 January 2020, the prosecutor presented his final opinion in the Özgür Gündem “Main Trial” at Istanbul’s 23rd High Criminal Court and requested the Court to convict and sentence Eren Keskin for “membership of a terrorist group”. The human rights defender is facing up to 10 years' imprisonment if convicted of this offence. The Court adjourned the hearing until 14 February 2020 when the final judgement is expected to be pronounced.

Eren Keskin, along with eight former editors of the newspaper Özgür Gündem, is on trial for “disrupting the unity and integrity of the State”, “establishing an organisation for the purpose of committing crime” and “being a member of an armed organisation”, as well as charges of terrorist propaganda under various articles of the Turkish Anti-Terror Code.

10 October 2018
Eren Keskin’s travel ban lifted and next hearing scheduled for January

On 10 October 2018, the 10th hearing of the Özgür Gündem “Main Trial” was held in Istanbul’s 23rd High Criminal Court. Former editor-in-chief of the newspaper Özgür Gündem, Eren Keskin is one of the nine defendants in the case. The Court lifted the travel ban on Eren Keskin but she is still facing up to 24 years in prison on various charges. The next hearing is scheduled for 17 January 2019.

Eren Keskin is among nine Özgür Gündem journalists, editors, and advisory board members who are facing charges in this case. All nine are being charged with “disrupting the unity and integrity of the State” under Article 302, “establishing an organisation for the purpose of committing crime” under Article 220 and “being a member of an armed organisation” under Article 314 of the Turkish Criminal Code, as well as charges of terrorist propaganda under various articles of the Turkish Anti-Terror Code. Kemal Sancılı, one of the defendants facing charges in this case, remains in detention.

Until now, more than 100 lawsuits have been filed against Eren Keskin for her work as editor-in-chief of Özgür Gündem. On 30 March 2018 she was charged with "degrading the Turkish nation, the Republic, institutions and organs of the state" under Article 301 of the Turkish Criminal Code, and with "insulting the President of the Republic of Turkey" under Article 299 of the Turkish Criminal Code. She was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison, which her lawyer has appealed. Should her appeal be unsuccessful she will be detained to begin serving her sentence. She has also been ordered to pay a cumulative amount of 72 000 Turkish Liras (approximately 10 000 Euro), and an additional amount of 460 000 (approximately 65 000 Euro) remains under review before the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court.

5 June 2018
Eren Keskin’s travel ban upheld and next hearing scheduled for October

On 4 June 2018, the ninth hearing of the Özgür Gündem “Main Trial” was held. Former editor-in-chief of Özgür Gündem, Eren Keskin is one of nine defendants in the case. During the hearing the court requested that the prosecutor prepare a statement for the next hearing, which is scheduled for 20 October 2018. Her lawyer’s request to lift the travel ban on the human rights defender was refused by the court.

By now, 143 lawsuits have been filed against Eren Keskin for her work as editor-in-chief of Özgür Gündem. On 30 March 2018 she was charged with "degrading the Turkish nation, the Republic, institutions and organs of the state" under Article 301 of the Turkish Criminal Code, and with "insulting the President of the Republic of Turkey" under Article 299 of the Turkish Criminal Code and sentenced to 7.5 years in prison, which her lawyer has appealed. She has also been ordered to pay a cumulative amount of 355.000 Turkish Liras (approximately 72,000 Euro), nearly 105.920 of which remains under review before the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court .

Eren Keskin is among nine Özgür Gündem journalists, editors, and advisory board members who are facing charges in this case. All nine are facing charges of “disrupting the unity and integrity of the State” under Article 302, “establishing an organisation for the purpose of committing crime” under Article 220 and “being a member of an armed organisation” under Article 314 of the Turkish Criminal Code, as well as charges of terrorist propaganda under various articles of the Turkish Anti-Terror Code.