Writer-journalist Nadire Mater plays a prominent part in the struggle for rights and press freedom in Turkey. Mater serves as the Chair of the Board of the Interpress Service (IPS) Communication Foundation, which supports rights-based journalism practices, is the project advisor of the Independent Communication Network (BIA), which fights for independent media, and continues to work for the online media platform bianet.org. Mater is among 39 people who have stood trial for supporting the Editors-in-Chief on Watch Campaign for the now shut down newspaper Özgür Gündem Daily. She was sentenced to a deferred prison sentence and a fine.
Mater took part in the campaign to show solidarity to Özgür Gündem and to fight for freedom of expression and freedom of the press against the numerous investigations, lawsuits, and censorships until it was shut down by an executive decree in October 2016.
Özgür Gündem solidarity trial
She was accused of "printing and publishing publications of a terrorist organization” and “propagandizing for a terrorist organization.” The accusations refer to the news and articles that were published by Özgür Gündem on 3 June 2016—when she served as the Guest Editor-in-Chief on Watch for one day. The first hearing of the case was held at a court on 7 November 2016.
At the hearing on February 14th, 2017, the prosecutor announced his final opinion and sought a prison sentence for Mater up to 10.5 years.
At the last hearing on March 7th, 2017, the court sentenced Mater to 15 months in prison for “propagandizing for a terrorist organization”. The sentence was deferred. On the charge of " printing and publishing publications of a terrorist organization", she was sentenced to pay a fine of 6,000 TL, which is an equivalent of spending 10 months in prison.
Journalist since 1981
Nadire Mater was born in Söke in 1949. After graduating from the Social Services Academy, she worked as a civil servant. She has been working as a journalist since 1981. She worked for the regional Yeni Asır newspaper published in Izmir, and news magazines Nokta, Tempo and Sokak. From 1991 to 2000, she worked as a representative and correspondent for Interpress Service (IPS). She is the founder and advisor of the Independent Communication Network bianet.org.
Her book was banned upon the request of the General Staff
Mater’s award-winning book Mehmedin Kitabı: Soldiers Who Have Fought in the Southeast Speak Out was published in 1999 and translated into five languages. It has become one of the symbols of freedom of opinion and expression. When it was published, Mater was indicted and the book was banned upon the request of the General Staff of the Turkish Republic. In 2000, she received the Sertel Democracy Award. Her trial ended in acquittal in 2001.
Mater also has another book titled Street is Beautiful What Happened in ‘68? published in 2009. In 2012, the Mülkiye Grand Prize was awarded to Nadire Mater on the grounds that she has been a defender of human rights and democracy, has contributed greatly to the development of rights-based journalism and alternative media in Turkey, and has demonstrated an honourable understanding and practice of journalism in her more than 30 years of journalism.
