Journalists Imprisoned in 2017 - Cuma Ulus
| Publisher | Committee to Protect Journalists |
| Publication Date | 31 December 2017 |
| Cite as | Committee to Protect Journalists, Journalists Imprisoned in 2017 - Cuma Ulus, 31 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a5c941aa.html [accessed 6 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Millet | Imprisoned in Turkey | July 26, 2016
| Job: | Editor |
| Medium: | Internet, Print |
| Beats Covered: | Corruption, Crime, Human Rights, Politics, War |
| Gender: | Male |
| Local or Foreign: | Local |
| Freelance: | No |
| Charge: | Anti-state |
| Length of Sentence: | Not Sentenced |
| Reported Health Problems: | No |
Police in Istanbul detained Cuma Ulus, a former news editor for the shuttered daily newspaper Millet, on July 26, 2016, as part of a sweeping purge of journalists and others suspected of following exiled preacher Fethullah Gülen, according to press reports. The government accuses Gülen of maintaining a terrorist organization and "parallel state structure" (or FETÖ/PDY, as the government calls it) within Turkey that it blames for orchestrating a failed military coup on July 15, 2016.
Istanbul's Fifth Court of Penal Peace on June 30, 2016, arraigned Ulus and 16 other journalists, ordering them jailed pending trial on charges of "being members of an armed terrorist organization," according to the media monitoring group P24. The daily newspaper Hürriyet reported that the 17 journalists were questioned by prosecutors on accusations of "being members of an armed terrorist organization," "founding or leading an armed terrorist organization," "knowingly and willingly helping [a terrorist] organization without being involved in the organization's hierarchical structure," and "committing crimes in the name of a [terrorist] organization without being a member."
The daily newspaper Millet was one of several media outlets owned by the Koza İpek Group, which the government took over in October 2015, alleging it had links to FETÖ/PDY. Trustees appointed by the government hollowed out media outlets the company owned and shut them down in March 2016, saying they were not financially viable.
The government-appointed management fired Ulus from Millet immediately after taking control of the newspaper, according to media reports.
In the original indictment, all but one of the 17 co-accused in Ulus's case were charged with "being a member of an armed [terrorist] organization," which carries up to 10 years in prison, according to reports. The indictment accused the defendants of manipulating public perception of FETÖ to turn people against the government, which, prosecutors argued, made them members of the group.
CPJ found the indictment to be similar to those presented at trials of other journalists in Turkey. Prosecutors cited as evidence journalistic activity or acts of free speech and communication, or cited circumstantial evidence such as being employed by a certain media outlet or having an account at a bank allegedly linked to Gülenists.
In Ulus's case, prosecutors cited as evidence his employment by Millet, a statement that he made to a news agency, his social media activity, his account at Bank Asya, which authorities claim is a Gülenist bank, and his attendance at an alleged Gülenist college.
When the trial started in March 2017, an Istanbul court ordered Ulus and several of the other journalists to be released while the case was heard, according to news reports. Prosecutors successfully appealed the decision, and authorities ordered an investigation into the judges who had ordered the release and they were relieved of duty, according to the reports.
Ulus was being detained in Siliviri prison.
