Dogan, an Ankara reporter for the now banned socialist weekly Alinteri, was arrested and later charged under Article 168/2 of the Penal Code for allegedly belonging to the outlawed Turkish Revolutionary Communist Union (TIKB).
According to the trial transcript, the prosecution argued that the TIKB published Alinteri. The case against Dogan was based on the following evidence:
(1) a photograph of Dogan, taken at a 1992 May Day parade, allegedly showing him standing underneath a United Revolutionary Trade Union banner;
(2) a photograph of Dogan taken on the anniversary of a TIKB militant’s death;
(3) a photograph allegedly showing Dogan attending an illegal demonstration in the capital, Ankara;
(4) a statement of an alleged member of the TIKB who claimed that Dogan belonged to the organization.
The defense argued that the incriminating statement was invalid because it had been extracted under torture. Dogan’s lawyer told CPJ that the photograph from the militant’s memorial was blurry, and Dogan testified in court that he had attended the May Day parade in his capacity as a journalist. He was convicted, sentenced to 12 years and six months in prison, and jailed in Bursa Prison.