Now Joakim Medin is facing trial in Turkey
The doors to the courtroom in Ankara are opened at 14, Swedish time. Joakim Medin will keep his defense figure via video link from prison, before the Turkish court decides whether he has committed the insult by the president.
The maximum penalty is four years and eight months in prison. In practice, the penalty usually varies between everything from fines to a few months in prison, according to Erol Önderoğlu.
– But the penalty time is longer for « crime » that has taken place through the media.
He has been reporters without a border representative in Turkey for 30 years, and has himself been imprisoned for crimes linked to his role as a journalist.
– It is difficult to say how the court will judge in Joakim’s case. My view is difficult for a first instance to acquit him, as long as there are no political instructions on doing so.
Joakim Medin stands too Prosecuted for membership in an armed terrorist organization and dissemination of terrorist propaganda. The crimes can at most give 15 and seven years and six months in prison.
In total, the ETC journalist risks in theory 27 years in prison. However, according to Erol Öderoğlu, he is not likely to be dropped on both of the last two charges.
– The court will have two different opportunities. Since the spread of terrorist propaganda is included in the indictment at the last moment, it is likely that they will want to go on that line, says Erol Önderoğlu.
Medin’s Turkish lawyers believe that in practice he may be sentenced to a total of a maximum of twelve years in prison, says Andreas Gustavsson, chief editor of Dagens ETC.
« It is their realistic worst scenario, because penalties and charges are not stacked on each other in that way in Turkish trials, » says Gustavsson, who is in close contact with the legal team in place.
Wednesday’s trial applies the prosecution with the lowest penalty scale. Medin’s lawyers, who belong to the Turkish freedom of expression organization MLSA, consider that he can be sentenced to three years in prison today.
– They base their assessment on what the prosecution looks like, and on their long experience of similar cases, says Andreas Gustavsson.
He says that the trial is expected to last for about an hour. How quickly the judgment is known depends on whether any of the parties request more time, which Medin’s lawyers are open to doing.
– It will be decided on the basis of the circumstances in place. How does the judge act? How aggressive is the prosecutor? The president’s lawyers are there and represent the victim, who is Erdogan himself.
Joakim Medin denies all charges made against him.
– The defense will say that journalistic activities are within the framework of freedom of expression, as is Turkey as well. Journalism is not an insult, says Andreas Gustavsson.
The charges against Medin mention, among other things, that he reported on when a doll depicting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was hanged outside the City Hall in Stockholm.
– Mirroring or reporting an event does not mean being an actor in the incident, or to sign what interviewees say. The lawyers will give a fairly basic review of what journalistic work is, says Gustavsson.
Today’s ETC has was rejected from traveling to Turkey. On site in Ankara, on the other hand, there is a large collection of Swedes, including European Parliamentarian Jonas Sjöstedt (V) MP Ulrika Westerlund (MP).
– There is experience since before where it is clear that international pressure can have an effect. It is a political prosecution and therefore the counter -reaction must also be political, says Ulrika Westerlund.
Also journalists and representatives of the media industry, such as the newspaper publishers and the Journalist Association.
– We are trying to be very clear with our presence, all of us Swedes who are here, says Ulrika Westerlund.
At present, there is no known date for the second trial, which will not be held in the Turkish capital.
– Only the purely administrative process of moving the prosecution from Ankara to Istanbul takes two to three weeks. Only then can we get a court date, says Andreas Gustavsson.
Read more here:
Medin’s wife before the trial: « gently hopeful »
No one from the government in Ankara for the trial: « We have made very careful balances »
This is how Swedish journalism is affected by the Medin East
