Turkish author and investigative reporter Nedim Şener has been convicted of no crime, but next week he will spend his 250th day in prison.

Şener, a journalist with the Milliyet newspaper who was named an International Press Institute (IPI) World Press Freedom Hero in 2010 following the publication of his book on the 2007 murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, sits in pre-trial detention in Silivri Prison on allegations that he belongs to an armed terrorist organisation.

Arrested in March following a police raid on the offices of Oda TV that has also led to charges against 13 others, Şener is accused of being part of the so-called Ergenekon plot in which an alleged clandestine Kemalist ultra-nationalist organisation with ties to members of the military and security forces is said to have plotted to use terrorism to overthrow the government.

Şener and the others detained following the Oda TV raid are scheduled to face their first hearing on the charges against them on 22 November. They join approximately 50 other journalists the Turkish government in August admitted it is detaining – a number that appears to make Turkey the leading jailer of journalists in the world.

Representatives of IPI’s Turkish National Committee visited Şener and other journalists at the Silivri Prison last month in a show of solidarity with him and other journalists who appear to have been targeted based on their critical reporting. During that visit, Şener gave the representatives a letter addressed to IPI Executive Director Alison Bethel McKenzie in which he decries the charges against him, thanks IPI and his supporters, and pledges to continue to fight for the pursuit of truth “until the end of my life”.

Bethel McKenzie said today: “To be frank, the media situation in Turkey breaks my heart. It is a tragedy that Nedim is in prison. He must know that IPI stands with him and that we are fighting to do all we can to free him and our other colleagues who are in jail for practicing journalism. I want him to know that neither I nor IPI will rest until we are able to see him face-to-face, no bars in sight. And we will not stop until every journalist in Turkey is able to practise their craft without fear of retribution or prison.”

The full text of Şener’s letter appears below.

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Dear Alison,

After I was declared a World Press Freedom Hero by the International Press Institute (IPI) last year, following the publication of my book on the murder of fellow Turkish journalist Hrant Dink, I told you in the ceremony in Vienna that “there can be no democracy in Turkey, if there is no justice for Dink.” Yes, we still have not been able to bring justice for Dink in Turkey. None of the police and intelligence officers who were involved in the murder conspiracy appeared in court. Politicians keep protecting them.

Meanwhile, I have been arrested during the Ergenekon investigation, which is being carried out by the same police officers who I wrote were involved in the Dink murder with their neglect. I had said that I was ready to pay the price to reveal the truth.

The sole evidence for my detention is an e-mail sent by an informer with a fake name and an electronic document, which includes the name “Nedim” in it, in the computer of a website called Oda TV. Since March, I’ve been waiting behind the bars of the Silivri prison to be tried in a court for “helping a terrorist organization”.

I send this letter to you to thank the IPI family and all honourable journalists who have supported me.

Whatever the Turkish state alleges, I’d like to assure you that I didn’t conduct any activity outside the domain of journalism. In this regard, it is gradually becoming clear that your support is not in vain. At the end of the day, the indictment and its appendix show that the prosecution’s only charge against me is journalism. Therefore, it is journalism that will be tried in court.

As a journalist who has dedicated his life to the pursuit of truth, I promised you in the Vienna ceremony that I would defend the title that you conferred upon me until the end of my life. I repeat this promise from the Silivri Prison. And I present my gratitude before you to the IPI family, to my colleagues who supported me and to the IPI Executive Board.

Sincerely,

Nedim Şener
26.10.2011
Silivri Prison