Nurcan Baysal’s next hearing scheduled
On 21 February 2019, the 7th Criminal Court of First Instance of Diyarbakır acquitted Nurcan Baysal of “inciting the public to hatred and enmity” charge. The acquittal decision is final.
Nurcan Baysal’s third hearing was due to take place on 14 February 2019 in Diyarbakır’s 7th Criminal Court of First Instance, but it is postponed to 18 April 2019 because of the judge’s absence.
On 16 October 2018, the second hearing of Nurcan Baysal was held in Diyarbakır’s 7th Criminal Court of First Instance. She is facing up to three years in prison for “provoking the people to hatred and enmity.” The next hearing is scheduled for 14 February 2018.
Nurcan Baysal is a Kurdish human rights defender and journalist from Diyarbakır, in the Kurdish region of Turkey. In 2018, she won the Front Line Defenders Award for the Human Rights Defenders at Risk. She was found guilty of demeaning the Turkish security forces in an article that she wrote in 2016, criticising the Turkish military operation in the Kurdish town of Cizre. Sentenced to a 10 month jail term, she was released on the condition that she would not repeat the offence within five years.
On 21 February 2019, the 7th Criminal Court of First Instance of Diyarbakır acquitted Nurcan Baysal of “inciting the public to hatred and enmity” charge. The acquittal decision is final.
Nurcan Baysal was facing up to three years in prison on a charge of “inciting people to hatred and enmity” for her anti-war tweets about Turkey’s military offensive in Afrin, Syria, based on the Article 216 of the Turkish Penal Code. During the last hearing on 14 February 2019, Nurcan Baysal’s lawyer submitted to the Court another verdict of acquittal previously issued by the 4th High Criminal Court on the same issue. The trial was subsequently adjourned until 18 April 2019 because the judge was on leave. However at the request of Nurcan Baysal’s lawyer, the Court rescheduled the hearing for 21 February 2019. The 7th Criminal Court of First Instance of Diyarbakır issued a verdict of acquittal for Nurcan Baysal during this hearing.
Nurcan Baysal’s third hearing was due to take place on 14 February 2019 in Diyarbakır’s 7th Criminal Court of First Instance, but it is postponed to 18 April 2019 because of the judge’s absence. She is facing up to three years in prison on the charge of “inciting people to hatred and enmity” for her tweets about Turkey’s military offensive in Afrin, Syria.
On 22 January 2018, Nurcan Baysal was taken into custody after police broke into her house knocking down her door. She was held in the Anti-Terror Branch for three days and released after she was questioned by the Prosecutor’s Office for her anti-war tweets during Turkey’s military offensive in Afrin, Syria. In the indictment prepared on 14 February 2018 by the Prosecutor’s Office in Diyarbakır, she was charged with “inciting people to hatred and enmity”. Her five anti-war tweets criticising Turkey’s military offensive were presented as evidence in the indictment.
On 16 October 2018, the second hearing of Nurcan Baysal was held in Diyarbakır’s 7th Criminal Court of First Instance. She is facing up to three years in prison for “provoking the people to hatred and enmity.” In her defence, the human rights defender stated that “I, as a citizen, only criticised the government’s policies in Afrin out of my concern for public interest, the future of this country and the future in which people will live together in solidarity (…) I consider the accusation of ”inciting people to hatred and enmity” an insult and I do not accept it.” The next hearing is scheduled for 14 February 2018.
Nurcan Baysal is a Kurdish human rights defender and journalist from Diyarbakır, in the Kurdish region of Turkey. In 2018, she won the Front Line Defenders Award for the Human Rights Defenders at Risk. She was found guilty of demeaning the Turkish security forces in an article that she wrote in 2016, criticising the Turkish military operation in the Kurdish town of Cizre. Sentenced to a 10 month jail term, she was released on the condition that she would not repeat the offence within five years.
On 22 January 2018, Nurcan Baysal was taken into custody after police broke into her house knocking down her door. She was held in the Anti-Terror Branch for three days and released after she was questioned by the Prosecutor’s Office for her anti-war tweets during Turkey’s military offensive in Afrin, Syria. In the indictment prepared on 14 February 2018 by the Prosecutor’s Office in Diyarbakır, she was charged with “inciting people to hatred and enmity”. Her five anti-war tweets criticising Turkey’s military offensive were presented as evidence in the indictment.
