Fatma Bilgin

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Bilgin, an Antakya reporter for Kurtulus, has been convicted under Article 168 of the Penal Code and sentenced to 12 years and six months in Malatya Prison. Court documents state that Bilgin was charged with participating in the firebombing of a car showroom, and stipulate that he was detained on December 12, 1995, in an apartment along with other two suspects in the firebombing. The prosecution said that she had posted banners and distributed pamphlets. Three witnesses testified that she had been present at the bombing. The prosecutor also presented as evidence an unspecified photographic negative. Bilgin denied the charges, according to the court documents. Current staffers at Kurtulus said that they did not know Bilgin. CPJ continues to investigate this case because the frequency of personnel changes, the age of the case, and the fact that Bilgin is said to have worked for a regional office could explain the response of the Kurtulus headquarters staff. CPJ is concerned that Bilgin’s prosecution may be part of a pattern of state harassment of Mucadele and Kurtulus.