The Reporters Without Borders (RSF) non-governmental organization urged the Turkish leadership on Tuesday to drop charges against seven Turkish activists that are facing life imprisonment for participating in the 2013 Gezi Park protests, including exiled opposition journalist Can Dundar
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th September, 2020) The Reporters Without Borders (RSF) non-governmental organization urged the Turkish leadership on Tuesday to drop charges against seven Turkish activists that are facing life imprisonment for participating in the 2013 Gezi Park protests, including exiled opposition journalist Can Dundar.
"Seven defendants, incl. the exiled journalist #CanDundar, face charge on 'attempting to overthrow the gov't', in Gezi trial. Court denied lawyers' request for recording the defense of defendants from abroad and still waits the warrant arrests to be executed ... @RSF_inter calls on Turkish authorities to drop this artificial charge brought against Dündar, to put an end to these attempts to discredit and target the journalist," RSF said on Twitter.
In 2013, Dunbar, then columnist for the Turkish Milliyet newspaper, was laid off for critical articles about the authorities in connection of the Gezi protests that began in Istanbul in late May of that year, over the decision of the Turkish authorities to cut down the Gezi Park next to Taksim Square to build a shopping and entertainment center in its place. The protesters were supported by half the provinces of Turkey and Turks living in Europe. The protests escalated into a wave of opposition to government policies.
In early 2015, Dundar became editor-in-chief in the center-left Cumhuriyet newspaper. Shortly thereafter, Dundar and Cumhuriyet's Ankara bureau chief Erdem Gul were arrested on charges of being members of a terror organization, espionage and revealing confidential documents, facing sentences of up to life imprisonment. Dundar was in particular accused of disclosing state secrets after the news outlet published footage alleging that Turkey had a role in arming Syrian militants. After being charged, the journalist fled to Germany. Ankara is currently seeking to extradite him.
