Journalist İsmail Arı arrested

BirGün reporter İsmail Arı was detained in Tokat, where he had gone for a family visit. Arı was accused of 'publicly disseminating misleading information'.

The statement of Arı, who was referred to the courthouse, has emerged.

When asked about a post made from a social media account named 'Solcu Gazete', Arı gave the following response in his statement:

'I WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT I WAS DETAINED DUE TO A VIDEO FILMED APPROXIMATELY 3 MONTHS AGO'

“I am a journalist holding a press card issued by the Presidency, and I have been working as a reporter at Birgün Newspaper for approximately 7 years. I was detained last night at 22:00 at the house where I was a guest in the Turhal district of Tokat, where I went for a holiday visit. I had a long road trip at night, I arrived in Ankara towards morning, I was held in a detention cell that was quite dirty and crawling with insects, so I am quite tired and sleep-deprived. Numerous investigations have been opened against me by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office; whenever I was invited to give a statement, I went immediately, and I would have gone immediately if I had been called to give a statement within the scope of this investigation as well. However, it was preferred to detain me on a holiday. There has been a protection order issued by the Ankara Governorship against me for approximately 8 months; when I am in Ankara, I am with 2 police officers of this state every day. These 2 police officers accompany me for the execution of the protection order. I would also like to draw attention to the fact that a detention warrant has been issued for a journalist who has 2 police officers with him every day. The video recording in the file shown to me was filmed weeks or months ago. I want to emphasize that I was detained due to a video filmed approximately 3 months ago. There is no misleading information in the video content. The foundations I mentioned in the video have websites, and the names of the administrators and board of trustees members are listed there. In fact, a very large part of what I told is information that every citizen can reach through internet research, which is called open-source research. What I have told has been news for years and is known by almost everyone on the street. Public resources have been mobilized for years for foundations belonging to the Erdoğan family. The simplest example of this is the protocols signed with municipalities and the buildings allocated; furthermore, I personally reported before that many expenses of these foundations were covered by AKP municipalities. And no investigation was even opened into any of these reports; this detention process damages society's trust in the justice system, and at the same time, it damages freedom of the press and expression. I have been in detention for hours for a crime that does not carry a prison sentence, and I demand to be released immediately. And I demand that a decision of non-prosecution be issued against me.”

When asked about the denial by the Center for Combating Disinformation regarding the post 'Historical structures and cultural assets were sacrificed at the Imam Hatip High School where President Erdoğan graduated', Arı replied, “The area mentioned in the news has been designated as a cultural asset that must be protected. Historical structures were previously located on the parcels subject to the news. However, in my news, I explained that a dormitory for the Imam Hatip high school would be built in this area, and I emphasized that it was decided to move the parcels designated as cultural assets that must be protected. While preparing this news, I spoke with experts; experts stated that such registered structures should be rebuilt on-site even if they are not present or are derelict. In this sense, I do not see a problem with my news.”

'WHILE HE SHOULD HAVE PINNED A MEDAL OF GRATITUDE ON ME...'

Arı was asked a question in the form of: “‘The biggest robbery of recent years... A 630 million TL heist story and the spouses and children of some politicians who are at the most critical points of the heist...’ Under your post, the photograph of the Minister of Culture and Tourism is seen; was your post addressed to the Minister of Culture and Tourism? In this context, the crime of insulting a public official due to their duty is constituted; furthermore, there is a confidentiality order regarding the investigation in question; again in this context, the crime of violating the confidentiality of the investigation is constituted; please provide your defense regarding the subject?”

In response to this, Arı said, “I am quite surprised that this matter is being made the subject of another investigation when the state should have pinned a medal of gratitude on me regarding the Yunus Emre Foundation robbery. Because Turkey learned from my report that the Yunus Emre Foundation, which has the status of a public foundation, was robbed with fake invoices. A very short time after my report, a criminal complaint was filed with the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office by the General Directorate of Foundations regarding this issue. Immediately afterwards, an operation was carried out by the Ankara Provincial Police Department's Financial Crimes Branch regarding this incident. And 2 separate indictments were prepared and a lawsuit was filed regarding the robbery of this foundation. I received the Uğur Mumcu Investigative Journalism, European Union Investigative Journalism, and Barış Selçuk Journalism awards for my reports on the Yunus Emre Foundation robbery. I did not create the visual you showed me. Moreover, there is nothing more natural than the presence of the photograph of Minister of Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy. Because this foundation is affiliated with him. Regarding the confidentiality order, I would like to insistently emphasize this: 2 separate lawsuits regarding the Yunus Emre Foundation are being conducted in a publicly open manner, and I even followed one of these cases at the Ankara Courthouse as a journalist.”

'I AM A JOURNALIST AND I HAVE DONE NOTHING OTHER THAN MY JOURNALISM PROFESSION'

In general, within the scope of the investigation file, I want to emphasize this: 3 more contents were added later to the investigation that started with one video; I know that the news I have done, especially in the last 1 year, has quite disturbed some bureaucrats and politicians. I do not think that these 4 posts shown to me are of a nature that would require me to be kept in detention for hours. As a journalist detained on a holiday, I want to believe in justice. I am a journalist and I have done nothing other than my journalism profession. The thousands of tweets posted about me while I was being held in the detention cell in the basement of the Police Department since the hour I was detained are proof of this. Today, hundreds of citizens in Ankara and Istanbul have taken to the streets to protect their constitutional right to freedom of the press and for my immediate release. This is the greatest medal of honor for me.”

'WITHOUT TAKING HIS STATEMENT...'

It turned out that the prosecutor's office referred journalist İsmail Arı to the criminal judgeship of peace with a request for his arrest without taking his statement.

HE WAS ARRESTED

Journalist İsmail Arı was arrested by the criminal judgeship of peace, to which he was referred by the prosecutor's office with a request for his arrest following his detention.