Arslan would go to the courthouse on her own if invited; there was no need to take her by the police, her lawyer Celal Ülgen told Bianet.
October 3, 2023, Ayça Soylemez, Bianet English.
Journalist Ayşenur Arslan has completed giving a statement at the Istanbul Courthouse after an investigation was launched against her for raising certain questions related to Sunday’s bomb explosion in Ankara on her TV program. Aslan’s program was also ended by the channel.
Aslan began providing her statement at the Istanbul Police Headquarters at noon and the procedure lasted for over an hour.
« I will be in a speaking hiatus »
Arslan made the following statement to the journalists outside the courthouse:
« Serious things are happening to many people, and I would be ashamed to consider this as an issue on my behalf. It’s been a bit of a tiring process, and it coincided with a time when my health was not in good shape, so I will be in a speaking hiatus for a while. I will certainly inform you. I would like to thank everyone, especially my young colleagues, for their interest. »
The police took Arslan
Arslan was taken by the police officers of the Istanbul Police Department’s Counterterrorism Branch as she was heading home at noon and was subsequently transported to the Istanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan.
Her lawyer, Celal Ülgen, stated, « There is no detention order yet. She was summoned to give a statement. However, instead of the police going to her home, they could have just called her or sent a message, and she would have gone voluntarily. But this seems to be the trend these days… Anyhow, there is no crime involved. »
Ayşenur Arslan is currently providing her statement at the prosecutor’s office.
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office initiated an investigation into Arslan for « making propaganda for a terrorist organization » and « praising the crime and the criminal » based on her statements in yesterday’s « Medya Mahallesi » program regarding the attack on the General Directorate of Security in Ankara.
Arslan, in an interview with Gerçek Gündem, said, « I am a journalist, and what I did was to question. » She added, « I never praised terrorism. If you watch the entire program, you will see that my words will not be interpreted as terrorist propaganda. I clearly condemned terrorism. Turkey has been completely silenced. They want those who speak to remain silent. The Workers’ Party of Turkey (TİP) is organizing a march from Hatay to Ankara. How many people are marching? 20, 30 people. This is what they want. It seems that the prosecution has initiated an investigation. They will call me for a statement, apparently. I will go and give my statement. I am a journalist, and what I did was question things. I don’t know where I will end up, Mücella Yapıcı’s bed in Silivri is available*, maybe I will go there. I will read plenty of books. »
In another statement to Sözcü, Arslan expressed her regret about being misunderstood and said that she was « fully against terrorism » and had always opposed terrorism throughout her professional career.
What happened?
Ayşenur Arslan faced backlash and an investigation by the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) and the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office following her comments in the « Medya Mahallesi » program regarding the attack on the General Directorate of Security.
The questions Arslan raised about the organizing of the attack in her program concerned why one of the two attackers detonated himself for no apparent reason, and why they killed the driver to hijack the car in Kayseri that they drove to Ankara to realize the attack.
*Having stood trial in the Gezi Park case, Mücella Yapıcı was released from prison last week after the Court of Cassation upheld the verdicts for five people and revoked the verdicts of three others including Yapıcı on Thursday.