Dr. Şebnem Korur Fincancı, president of the Turkish Medical Association (TBB), was released Wednesday night from Istanbul’s Bakırköy Women’s Prison, following two and a half months of detention on charges of allegedly ‘spreading terrorist propaganda’.
Fincancı, an expert in medical jurisprudence, was originally detained on October 2, 2022 following comments on a Haber TV program that month, in which Fincancı said “I have examined the videos. It appears that toxic gases that directly affect the nervous system were used.” The comments made reference to a video released by the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) in early October showing several party members who were exposed to chemical weapons as a result of a Turkish military operation in northern Iraq’s Kurdistan region. Her comments alleged use of chemical weapons by the Turkish Armed Forces, an action that if corroborated would be considered a war crime. Shortly after Fincancı’s comments on the TV program, an investigation against her was opened by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s office. The PKK is classified as a terrorist group by Ankara and several other countries, having been involved in sectarian fighting in southeastern Anatolia throughout the 1990s and linked sporadically to attacks and unrest in the years since.
Fıncan was released Wednesday around 18:00 following the third hearing in her trial for promoting ‘terrorist group propaganda’. In the hearing yesterday (January 11), Fincancı was sentenced by a panel of judges to two years, 8 months, and 15 days in prison for her comments. Her release was then ordered as the case was referred to a higher court. Outside the prison, Fincancı was greeted by scores of journalists and supporters, where she made the following statement:
“I’d like to thank the members of the press for their solidarity. From the beginning, your journalistic efforts in the face of such oppression have been invaluable. I would like to leave aside those who have not raised their voices or produced journalism. Fear does not prevent death. Let’s not forget that informing the public about the human rights struggle is an obligation, just like medical responsibility. Today, we have seen this responsibility carried out. And those that have not yet been carried out we will see together.”
Portraying herself as a scapegoat for bringing to light human rights violations, Fincancı continued: “It is inconceivable that a channel’s broadcasting policy is defined as a crime and then that blame is placed on me. Our lawyers have also expressed that I myself may be held responsible for my own so called crimes. This notion is itself a crime against humanity.”
The Turkish Medical Association, of which Fincancı is president, also released a statement following her release saying: “Our strength comes from our resistance, solidarity and stubbornness. With this strength in mind, we will all send the Health Transformation Program to the dustbin of history. They are afraid, and let them continue to be afraid!”
This latest case is not Fincancı’s first dust-up with the Turkish courts. In 2016, the TBB president was briefly detained on terrorist propaganda charges for a campaign she started with Özgür Gündem newspaper, Reporters Without Borders, and writer Ahmet Nesin. In 2018, she signed a petition with Academics for Peace that resulted in a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence that was later annulled. Finally, in early 2022, Fincancı conducted an interview with a YouTube channel allegedly associated with the Gülen Movement, which resulted in a criminal complaint but no charges. Alongside the PKK, the Gülen Movement is often viewed as public enemy number one by the Turkish state. The group is alleged to have carried out 2016’s failed coup d’etat attempt, a charge the group’s leader Fethullah Gülen denies. Gülen lives in exile in Pennsylvania, USA.
