Ziya Ataman

Ziya Ataman (born March 10, 1989 in Beytüşşebap ) is a Kurdish journalist . He worked as an intern for the Dicle Haber Ajansı news agency . On April 10, 2016, he took part in a demonstration in Van during which he was arrested and detained the next day. The public prosecutor accuses Ataman of membership in a terrorist organization .

The process

The indictment against Ziya Ataman was filed in December 2017, 20 months after his arrest. The indictment is based on testimony, most of which have been withdrawn, under torture or threats.

Ataman's trial began on March 2, 2018, almost 2 years after his arrest. Ataman was unable to attend the trial in person. Since he is housed in a type M prison and is not allowed to leave it for trial appointments, participation in the process is only possible via video transmission. Because of technical problems, he was unable to defend himself on the day of the trial. The trial was therefore postponed to August 7, 2018.

At the hearing on August 7th, Ataman televised the trial. Ataman's lawyers asked if there had been a review of the testimony. The public prosecutor's office said no and demanded that the detention be continued. The trial was adjourned.

At the following trial date on October 26, 2018, Ataman remained in prison and was connected via video transmission. No trial observers or journalists were allowed to attend the trial. The reasoning stated that the courtroom was too small. The application for exemption from detention was denied and the trial was suspended until January 17th.

On the January 17th trial, one of the witnesses withdrew his testimony, stating that it was made under torture. The trial has been postponed to March 26, 2019. Here Ataman asked to be allowed to keep his defense in Kurdish. Prosecutors asked Ataman to find a translator and postponed the trial to May 28. The trial date on May 28, 2019 could not take place because the judges and prosecutors who started the trial of Ataman have been arrested in the meantime.

At the next trial date on June 13, 2019, the prosecutor demanded life imprisonment for Ataman. The trial was postponed to September 24, 2019.

Actually, pre- trial detention in Turkey can last a maximum of two years. Ataman has been in custody for more than three years (as of July 2019). The HDP deputies Tuma Çelik was Ataman case to the National Assembly . In addition, Ataman's lawyers have appealed to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). They expect the ECHR to conclude that pre-trial detention is unlawful.

illness

Ataman suffered from an intestinal disorder even before his arrest. Since his imprisonment, he has received inadequate medical care. In addition, the prison conditions have a negative impact on his health. He was admitted to hospital twice.

Hunger strike

Ataman led from 1 March to 26 May 2019 a hunger strike in protest against the solitary confinement of PKK -Führers Abdullah Ocalan by. The hunger strike was started by HDP MP Leyla Güven , but she ended it more than 100 days after Öcalan's request.

support

On July 10, 2019, supporters opened a Twitter account for Ataman. On this you post all the news about the case. He also receives support from members of the HDP. There were numerous Twitter actions for Ataman. Journalists from ARD and ZDF , as well as Turkish human rights organizations such as the Turkish non-profit organization Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA) supported the campaign, as did the Can Dündar news platform .

swell

• Kedistan.net: Turkey: Freedom for ill journalist Ziya Ataman!

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Sağlık durumu kötüleşen tutuklu gazeteci Ziya Ataman'ın avukatı: "Sadece iki kez hastaneye çıkarabildik". July 12, 2019, accessed July 26, 2019 (Turkish).