American Journalist Cleared Of Racial Charges In Turkey

An American journalist was cleared Thursday of charges she had incited racial hatred with a story on the army’s campaign against Kurdish guerrillas.

The State Security Court, a semimilitary tribunal, cited “lack of evidence and intent” in acquitting Reuter correspondent Aliza Marcus, 33, of Westfield, N.J.

If convicted, she would have faced a three-year sentence for an article that appeared a year ago in a pro-Kurdish daily, Ozgur Ulke.

Marcus was the first foreign journalist prosecuted for her writings. Hundreds of Turkish journalists have been tried on similar charges.

“I always thought there was nothing wrong with the article, and now I can get back to work and concentrate on my job instead of the trial,” Marcus said after the verdict.

U.S. human rights and media rights organizations had protested the trial.

“We welcome this decision and hope that it sets a precedent in the dozens of similar cases brought by the government against Turkish journalists,” Bill Orme, head of the Committee to Protect Journalists, said.

Marcus testified last month that the article, “The Army’s Target: Kurdish Villages,” was based on information she had gathered. However, she said the article was written by Reuter editors and transmitted from London.