JINHA

WAN – Hearing of the journalists, including our reporter Vildan Atmaca, who was taken into custody on November 13, 2015 in the Erçiş district of Van, was today. The hearing was postponed to March 29, 2016 to watch the evidences and videos.

Our reporter Vildan Atmaca, İdris Yılmaz, the reporter of Dicle News Agency (DİHA), Bekir Güneş, the reporter of İMC TV, Ruşen Takva, the former cameraman of İMC TV and a citizen named Ömer Yılmaz were taken into custody on November 13, 2015 in the Erciş dstrict of Van. They are tried for allegedly “resisting police”. The second hearing of the journalists was today. The journalists and their lawyers attended the hearing.

During the defense of the journalists, the judge asked our reporter, “Why did the police take you into custody in the crowd? Our reporter replied, “I was covering the news in the district. Before, police took me into custody; they had threatened me as “We will arrest you”. They took me into custody that day by battering. I didn’t use violence against the police and I didn’t resist against them. I deny the accusation.”

After Vildan, İdris Yılmaz, the reporter of Dicle News Agecny (DİHA) talked. “The police with civilian cloths wanted to take me into custody without showing their identity cards. I have worked in the district as journalist for years. Meanwhile, Bekir Güneş, the reporter of İMC TV, Ruşen Takva, the former cameraman of İMC TV, said that they didn’t resist against the police and they were battered while they were taken into custody. Ömer Yılmaz was taken into custody for using bad language to the police. Ömer pointed out that there are videos of the day.

After the defenses of the journalists, Murat Timur, the lawyer, said, “We deny the accusations. We demand the acquittal.” Suat Çakan, another lawyer of the journalists, said, “We will prove the facts with the videos we have.”

The hearing was postponed to March 29, 2016 to watch the evidences and videos after the defenses.

Meanwhile, our reporter Beritan Canözer was taken into custody on December 16, 2015, accused to “Being exited” while she was covering the news in Diyarbakır. Beritan was jailed on December 19, 2015. Beritan was banished from Diyarbakır Prison to Bakırköy Women Closed Prison with 18 women on March 12 after six prisoners escaped from jail. Beritan’s first hearing also is on March 29, 2016.

(va/dc/dk/gd)