Barış Pehlivan speaks on his November 9 trial: It will be a test of a great injustice

Journalist Barış Pehlivan is in prison for the fifth time due to a lawsuit filed against him based on an article he wrote in the Cumhuriyet newspaper. Pehlivan, who is being held at Maltepe Open Prison, will appear before the judge on November 9, 2023.

Speaking to Cumhuriyet columnist Murat Ağırel, Pehlivan summarized his situation in the open prison as follows:

'PRISONS ARE CRIME ACADEMIES'

"A crime academy! Unfortunately, open prisons in Turkey have become schools for new crimes rather than places of rehabilitation. I have not seen an efficient system to reintegrate the convicts there into society. On the contrary, I have noticed that many convicts inside learn crimes they did not know before and gain connections they could not have outside. But my biggest observation, again and unfortunately, was realizing once more how much the justice system has decayed by talking to dozens of people every day."

'THE SUPERVISED RELEASE DENIED TO ME IS GRANTED TO SERIOUS CRIMINALS'

Regarding the supervised release that he is not allowed to benefit from despite it being his right, Pehlivan shared his observations from prison and said the following:

"I have witnessed dozens of times that the right to supervised release, which is withheld from me, is granted to very serious criminals inside. There were many convicts who were released on supervised release for a total of six years, and I watched them as they were discharged. I am not going to hide it; even the other inmates inside sometimes mock me for what I am going through. People who stay for a long time are asked, 'Did you kill someone?'... It is hard for me to even say it, but unfortunately, if I had killed someone, I would be free!"

'IT WILL BE A TEST OF A GREAT INJUSTICE' 

Pehlivan, who will appear before the judge on Thursday, November 9, said the following regarding the hearing:

"My right to supervised release was taken away from me on the grounds of a lawsuit filed over an article of mine in Cumhuriyet. The new article added to the law in the summer months allows for my freedom, but the judges are ignoring it. In that case, one path remains, and that is for me to be acquitted in the case that caused my supervised release to be revoked... Because according to the article they use as a justification to keep me inside, an acquittal in that case will allow me to be released on supervised release again. In short, the trial on November 9 will be a test of a great injustice that goes beyond me."

News Source: 12punto