Local Journalist Detained, Awaits Trial

 Yasin Yetisgen, owner and responsible manager of the weekly "Coban Atesi" (Shepherd's Fire) newspaper in Gaziantep, south-eastern Turkey, has been detained since 13 August for using the expression "North Kurdistan" in one of his articles.

Yetisgen is charged with "damaging the unity and integrity of the state" and has been sent to an H-type prison in Gaziantep, awaiting trial at a heavy penal court. His file has been sent to Adana.

Legal base for charge not clear yet

However, Article 8 of the Law on Terror, which punishes "separatist propaganda", was abolished on 15 July 2003. It is thus not known what law the prosecution is basing the case on.  

 Saban Kaplan, judge at Gaziantep's First Court of Peace declared that there was "strong suspicion that Yetisgen had committed a crime, and that the nature of the crime and the evidence pointed towards it being a crime under Article 100/3 of the Penal Court Law". 

Protest at "precautionary arrest"

Seydi Vakkas Ovayolu, the lawyer representing Yetisgen, said that his client's objection to the arrest was refuted on 16 August, and that he could only receive visitors as of today (20 August). Newspaper representatives have protested against the fact that Yetisgen has been arrested as a "precaution" although no trial has started yet. 

The 22nd issue of the "Shepherd's Fire" was confiscated because of the use of the expression "North Kurdistan". The exact phrase was, "Antep is an industrial city in North Kurdistan". Yetisgen was called to make a statement and then arrested.

There has also been an arrest warrant issued for Hursit Kasikkirmaz, who wrote an article entitled "Antep and the Shepherd's Fire" for the same newspaper on 2 August. (EÖ/AG)