Life Safety Alert for Imprisoned Journalist Barış Pehlivan
Barış Pehlivan, imprisoned columnist for Cumhuriyet Daily, has been placed in a cell with five other inmates. His lawyer, Hüseyin Ersöz, has expressed concerns about Pehlivan's safety, stating, "We swiftly requested increased security from the prison director." Unfortunately, the prosecutor's office declined the plea for Pehlivan's release on probation.
cumhuriyet.com.trCumhuriyet columnist Barış Pehlivan has been sentenced to 3 years and 9 months in an ongoing case since 2020. He was taken into custody on July 16th, marking his fifth conviction.
Pehlivan was found guilty of revealing the identity of a deceased member of the National Intelligence Organization (MİT), who was stationed in Libya, in one of his articles.
Following the verdict, his attorney, Hüseyin Ersöz, took to social media to voice concerns: "The prosecutor has rejected Barış Pehlivan's application for 'complaint remedy' to the Silivri Execution Judgeship. This decision keeps Pehlivan in detention. While we have been advocating for a more 'liberal' interpretation of the law by the prosecutors, the opinion provided lacks plausible legal justification and does not reference recent legal amendments. The final decision now rests with Silivri Execution Judgeship No. 2."
Imminent Threats and Protective Measures
Furthermore, Ersöz emphasized that the journalist is facing serious threats across various social media platforms.
He explained their actions:
"We have formally filed a petition concerning Barış's safety. In the past 10 days, the comments under news articles have taken a dangerous turn." Ersöz elaborated, "These comments, filled with menacing language and derogatory statements such as 'You deserve execution,' 'May your silence be ensured by your demise in prison,' and 'traitor,' undoubtedly endanger Barış's life. Given this unsettling situation, we promptly petitioned the prison director to implement all necessary precautions."
In a poignant statement made just yesterday outside the prison walls, Pehlivan voiced his dismay: "Am I to be considered more dangerous than a convict guilty of rape? I strongly oppose this notion."